


I Have Nothing

by a_dot_burr_ell



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU, Bodyguard AU, F/F, Sanvers - Freeform, it's a side pairing tho, still superpowers tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2018-11-23 12:27:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11402403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_dot_burr_ell/pseuds/a_dot_burr_ell
Summary: Lena is in danger. This fact wouldn't be anything new except that the assassin her mother sends after her is too much for her security to withstand.Kara runs a private security company taking cases that no mere human can handle. When she is contracted to protect Lena Luthor, Kara finds herself being thrown back into a world she thought she escaped.





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> This work is loosely...very loosely...based on Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard. It's my first multi-chapter supercorp fic so I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

_Don't make me close one more door_  
_I don't want to hurt anymore_  
_Stay in my arms if you dare_  
_Or must I imagine you there_  
_Don't walk away from me_  
_I have nothing, nothing, nothing_  
_If I don't have you_

* * *

Lena’s body trembled, her arms shaking even as she wrapped them around her middle. She didn't know why she was shaking—she wasn't cold. Or at least she didn't think she was. It was probably just due to the stress—her body reacting when her mind couldn't.

Police swarmed around her apartment, their uniformed boots crunching over the broken glass on the floor. Even the couch she was sitting on had a large chunk taken out of the side, the back nearly falling without a solid support. In fact, most of her carefully curated antique furniture was torn or broken into pieces. There were bullet holes in her walls and blood splatters everywhere from where her security team had fallen. Despite the intensity of the attack, her only souvenir was a cut on her forehead she’d gotten from flying debris. Luckily, the wound had stopped seeping blood by the time the authorities had arrived.

“Ms. Luthor,” a gentle voice sounded from beside her.

Lena turned her head to see a woman standing off to her left. She could tell from her lack of uniform and placement of her badge that she was a detective. She was young—in her late twenties possibly—with dark hair and soft eyes.

“We just have a couple of questions,” the woman continued. She pulled a pad and pen from her pocket.

“O-of—” Lena coughed. Her voice was hoarse, possibly from screaming. She cleared her throat. “Of course, Detective…?”

“Sawyer,” she answered.

Lena nodded. “Detective Sawyer, what can I do for you?”

“I know this is an extremely difficult time,” she started, readying her pen. “But the only way we’ll be able to track down the person that did this is to take your statement.”

Lena gazed up at the detective. “I already know who did it.”

Sawyer’s eyes widened. “Oh?”

Lena swallowed reflexively, her tongue coming out to wet her lips. “My mother did this. She sent the assassin.”

“Can you describe him?”

“He was some sort of cyborg.” She couldn't believe she was saying those words but there was no other way to describe the being that attacked her. “Half man, half machine.” Lena would never forget seeing him crash through her window, his left eye glowing a harsh red. “He deflected my security team’s weapons. He could pick up a man single handed and throw him like a rag doll.”

Detective Sawyer’s hand tightened around her pen. “That's a new one. If he was as strong as you say, how'd you make it out?”

“I didn't,” Lena admitted. “Arnold—”

“That would be Mr. Jenkins, correct?” Lena nodded and Detective Sawyer turned to a nearby officer. “The second victim.”

Lena shivered. So two of the ten men she'd hired had died protecting her. “He stabbed the cyborg in his mechanical eye. It damaged him enough that he retreated.”

“Forgive me for asking, but what makes you think your mother sent him? I mean, your brother has made public made attempts on your life as well.”

“Six attempts by my last count,” Lena said. Her brother typically sent humans to take her out, mobsters from friends he’d made in prison. They were usually handed well by her security. “The cyborg—he told me my mother sent him. Right before he tore through my security. My mother wants me dead.” She tried for a sardonic smirk but from the look on the detective’s face she probably hadn't mustered anything other than a grimace.

“We’re going to relocate you for the night while we work out giving you a protection detail.” Detective Sawyer clicked her pen and shoved it in her jacket pocket.

“I appreciate the gesture but my security team was made up of several ex-special forces and retired marines. If they couldn't keep me safe then I doubt a unit of police can.” She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but she truly didn't see a reason for more people to die to protect her. “Plus, I'm sure they'll be needed elsewhere in the city.”

Detective Sawyer’s eyes roved over her and Lena stiffened under the scrutiny. “You know,” the detective started. “I think I may have an alternative.” Detective Sawyer pulled a pack of tissues out of her jacket pocket and offered one to her.

“And what would that be?” Lena asked. She took one of the pro-offered tissues, but didn’t do more than hold it in her grip.

“I have a contact in the FBI who might be able to recommend someone a little more hard wearing.” She pulled out a business card and wrote a number down on the back. “Give this number a call in the morning and we’ll see if we can set something up.” She looked at the tissue in her hand. “You gonna use that, or what?”

“What?” Lena wasn’t sure what she was getting at.

Detective Sawyer mimed wiping her face. Lena raised the paper and wiped at her face, surprised when the tissue came back wet. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will probably be posting updates on Fridays so LOOK for another chapter then!
> 
> Edit: so it seems that I have chapters more often than Fridays.


	2. Chapter 1

Kara stared James down, considering her options. She didn’t have many, not with only thirty dollars to her name and backed into a corner. Hanging her head, Kara held out her most precious property. “Deal.”

“Yes!” He cheered, shimmying his shouldering in a little victory dance. “Park Place is mine!”

“Okay, that’s cheating!” Winn protested, slamming his beer onto her coffee table.

“That's what I call creative business practices.” James flashed him a toothy smile.

Winn turned to her. “Kara, Park Place is the best one!”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.” She leaned back against the couch, running a hand through her hair. “Why couldn’t we play charades, again?”

“Because we don’t have enough players and it was my night to choose the game,” James said, rearranging all of his properties by value.

“Just wait, Olsen. Next week we play Risk.”

James groaned.

“Hey,” Kara started, “we didn’t complain when you made us play Call of Duty.”

“Well, what about when Winn made us all play Dungeons and Dragons?” James pointed at Winn.

“You had fun and you know it!” Winn shot back.

Kara’s phone buzzed. “Hang on, guys. It’s Alex.”

“Ask her if she’s bringing Maggie next week,” James said, standing from his seat and ambling to the fridge.

“I will.” Kara answered the phone. “Hey, Alex.”

“Kara, hey!” Her sister greeted her.

“Hi, Alex!” Winn shouted.

James took the top off another beer. “Hi, Alex!”

Alex chuckled. “Tell them both I said ‘hi’.”

“I will.” She stood and headed for a quieter corner. She ended up by her washer and dryer, leaning against the counter. “I missed you tonight. James made us play monopoly and at least it would have leveled the playing field if you were here.”

Alex chuckled. “Yeah, sorry, but I was working. Next week’s looking clear, though.”

Kara hummed. She knew all about the long hours that came with being a DEO agent. It wasn't like you clock out a punch card when you were guarding the world from alien threats.

“Actually,” Alex continued. “I was briefing everyone on something that you might want in on.”

“Alex, you know I don’t work for the DEO anymore.” She'd put in her time and she wasn't willing to go back no matter how much it had changed.

“Not for us. Someone was attacked; by a cyborg by the sound of it.”

Kara let out a low whistle. “Cyborg? Like someone that’s still a person just with a bunch of enhancements?”

“That’s what Maggie’s report said.”

Kara rolled up on the balls of her feet. “Wow, I’ve never faced one of those. Wait, you said someone was attacked; are they looking for a little extra protection?” She’d been waiting for something interesting to pop up for their next gig.

“Bingo. The attacker got away but NCPD thinks he’ll be back.”

“That could be interesting. Let me put you on speakerphone so the guys can hear the details.” Kara returned to the couch, pressing the button that would allow the guys to hear.

“Does Alex have something for us?” James asked, taking a long pull of his drink.

Kara nodded. “Cyborg attack. He didn't get his mark so police think there will be another attack.”

Winn’s head snapped up, a glint in his eye. “Cyborg?! We have to do it!”

“Uh, Winn. As excited as I'm sure you are to get your hands on it, beware that he tore through a ten man team. Put eight of them in the hospital; two of them died,” Alex said.

James shrugged. “Nothing Kara couldn’t handle, I’m sure.”

Kara grinned at him. Her friends’ belief in her abilities never failed to please her. “So, who’s the client?”

“Well, now that’s the thing,” Alex started.

“What? Is it another Republican? Because I already told—”

“It’s Lena Luthor.”

Kara shared a look with James. “Lena Luthor? As in Lex Luthor’s little sister?”

Kara had only been eighteen when her cousin had his famous showdown with Lex Luthor but James had still been working in Metropolis at the time. She hadn’t heard much about the youngest Luthor apart from knowing that she’d been present with her mother at Lex’s trial.

“That would be the one.” Alex sighed.

“Are you telling me the Luthors don’t have any anti-cyborg tech to fall back on?” James asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Probably not considering she’s convinced it’s her mother that sent the cyborg after her,” Alex said.

“Her mother,” he scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

“That would actually make sense,” Winn said.

Kara turned to him. “Why’s that?”

“Well, after Lex went to prison Lionel Luthor got Luthor Corp. But he died a little over a year ago and Lena got the CEO spot.” Winn picked up his stack of Monopoly money and started shuffling it. “Since then, she’s rebranded the company, upped their charitable donations and has released a new dialysis machine that lowers the morbidity rate! In college she worked with Jack Spheer on a cure for cancer—she had to stop when all that stuff with her family happened but it's still something!”

“How do you know all this?” Kara goggled at him. Winn was always talking about the latest technological advancements but she'd never heard him mention Lena Luthor.

“I saw her TED talk a couple of years ago.” He shrugged. When they both continued to stare at him, Winn gaped at them. “Oh, come on you guys. She’s a genius!”

“Probably an evil genius like the rest of her family,” James mumbled.

Winn shook his head. “First of all, murder is not a family trait, thank you very much.”

James hung his head. “Sorry, man.”

“And second, she's adopted,” Winn finished.

“Really?” Kara asked. She tried to remember if her cousin had ever mentioned the fact that the Luthors had ever adopted anyone but could only remember Kal-El speaking of Lex.

Winn nodded. “When she was like seven or something.”

“What, do you have a crush on her?” James pressed. “I thought Lyra was the love of your life.”

“She is!” Winn exclaimed. “And it's not a crush—it's just that she's like my number one peer idol.”

“Nerd alert,” James fake-coughed, hiding his ribbing.

“If you two are done behaving like children,” Alex huffed.

“Sorry, Alex,” they chorused.

“Anyways, the youngest Luthor was pretty shaken by the attack. I can set up a meeting if you want.”

“Where is she now?” Kara asked.

“Police safe house. But she's getting antsy. She wants to return to work. Maggie actually gave her my number a couple of days ago but she's held out until now.”

Kara looked to the others. Winn was vigorously nodding his head in the affirmative while James simply shrugged. “Well, I don't see anything wrong with taking a meeting.”

“Great. Tomorrow, ten a.m. I'll have Maggie text you the address.” Alex hung up.

Kara pocketed her phone. “Looks like this might be interesting.”

* * *

Lena glared at her computer screen. She was reaching the end of her patience. Not because she was squirreled away in some ratty two story safe house for her own safety—she wasn't as finicky about the lack of luxuries as many people thought her to be—but she couldn't keep her company afloat in these conditions.

She needed to be at her office organizing the next quarter’s budget and ensuring that the many projects L-Corp had in the works continued to run smoothly. Instead, her company was being swept floor by floor, her employees rescreened, and her vehicles inspected. All the NCPD had allowed her to bring into seclusion was her laptop and a burner phone. Her regular cell, they said, was too easy to trace.

Currently, she was waiting for the security team that Detective Sawyer had put her in contact with. She had held out on calling, preferring her own security team to someone unknown, but it soon became clear that the injuries sustained in the attack would take much longer to heal than a couple of days. All of her attempts to fill the open spots had been met with rejections—it seemed the security community was less inclined to take the position after she told them what they were up against.

The number the detective had given her went to National City’s FBI field office where an Alex Danvers had gotten back to her. It seemed that Agent Danvers was only a go between who would relay the information to the Mayara Security Group.

Lena had tried to search for them online but the information she found was sparse. There was a website that consisted of only a single page that had the company name at the top with a link for a contact form. There were no photos, no testimonials, no further information. Lena found it odd that anyone could drum up any business that way.

There was a knock at the door and the officer assigned to the morning shift went to the front door. “It must be them.”

Lena glanced at her watch and frowned. It was a quarter past ten in the morning. They were late.

Instead of the security team, it was Detective Sawyer that came through the door. “Hey, sorry I'm late.”

“You're not the only one who’s late.” Lena pushed back her laptop.

Maggie’s brow furrowed, glancing at her phone. “Really? Little Danvers texted me and said they were here already.”

Danvers? “Who texted you?”

A voice sounded off behind them. “Man, for a police safe house you have really good food.”

Lena whirled around, alarmed by the sudden intrusion. Standing in the kitchen entryway was a man with a small build, holding a sandwich in one hand while licking mustard off his fingertips. “How in the hell—?”

The officer on duty pulled his gun. “Freeze!”

The stranger held up his hands, looking a little ridiculous considering he was still holding a sandwich. “Whoa, easy there!”

“Stand down,” Maggie said, placing a hand on the officer's gun and forcing it lower. “Winn, did you really need to go pilfering through the fridge?”

The stranger, Winn, pouted. “But I was hungry.”

Maggie chuckled. “You're making a horrible impression.”

“Right.” Winn switched the hand holding his meal and wiped his hand on his pants. “Ms. Luthor, it's an honor to meet you.” He held out his hand.

Lena shook his hand, still a little confused. “Nice to meet you Mr…”

“Schott. Winn Schott. I'm a huge fan. I've seen your TED talk and I watched all of L-Corp’s unveiling.”

“Thank you. Are you part of the Mayara Group?” She couldn't see him being much protection.

“I sure am.”

“Winn is the tech man,” Maggie explained.

Winn pointed a finger at Maggie. “Hey, I am also quality moral support.”

“How did you get in here?” The officer holstered his gun. “We have this place on lockdown.”

“Not the second floor, you don't.” A second man joined them. Unlike Winn who was dressed in jeans and a knit sweater, this newcomer was well built and was dressed professionally in slacks and a white long sleeved shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He gave her a curt nod. “James Olsen.”

“James handles surveillance,” Maggie added. “Where's Kara?”

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened and a blonde woman around Lena’s age stepped out. “You're out of toilet paper now.”

“Jesus, Kara.” Maggie put her hands on her hips.

“Okay, somebody better start talking,” the officer demanded.

“Relax, Anderson,” Maggie said. “They are professionals.”

Officer Anderson scowled and muttered something that sounded like ‘so are we’.

“Well,” James started. “Winn and I got in through the kitchen window. You should really have it sealed shut.”

“I actually found three points of entry,” Kara said, counting on her fingers. “There was the basement, the bathroom window, and the second story window. Hello, by the way. I’m Kara Danvers.” She stepped forward and offered her hand.

Lena looked over the woman. Kara Danvers was half a head taller than Lena, with blonde hair that was tied back into a bun. She wore a fitted black leather jacket over a blouse and dark pants. She was...extremely attractive. Lena had a hard time taking her seriously as a bodyguard.

Lena shook her hand, surprised by the steady grip. “Any relation to Agent Danvers?”

“She’s my sister.” That would explain the recommendation.

“Right.” Lena withdrew her hand. “Ms. Danvers, as impressed as I am by your team’s infiltration, I’m not quite sure if this will be a good fit.”

Kara nodded. “That’s very possible.”

“Oh?” She wasn't used to any contractor that would willingly admit that.

“Even if something is a fit for you, it may not be a good fit for me or my team,” Kara continued. “If we were to take the job, I would be your bodyguard and James and Winn would take care of monitoring your properties. If we don't see eye to eye I won't be as successful.” She gestured to the table. “So why don’t we have a seat and you can tell me what it is you think won’t make us a good fit.”

Lena purses her lips. “Well, forgive me for saying so, but you don’t seem very intimidating.” She pulled out the chair she'd previously vacated.

James and Winn chuckled. Kara glared at them. Their laughs turned to coughs. She took a seat across from Lena.

“Second of all, I got your name from your sister.” Lena folded her hands together on top of the table. “I don’t like to think it was just nepotism that made her recommend you but I have to wonder.”

“If it’s another reference you’re looking for, I’d be happy to have the head of Secret Service contact you.”

“You’ve protected the President?” Lena asked, skepticism bleeding into her voice.

“Back when she was just Senator Marsden, yes. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to vouch for me.” Kara smiled politely. “Furthermore, my appearance does give me an advantage—no one thinks I’m much of a threat until it’s already over.” She said it so coolly, like that was something she had to assure all of her clients.

“That is true.”

“From what I understand, subtly is a priority for you. I can easily blend into an office setting, no one even has to know that you have personal security tailing you.”

That was tempting. The less the public knew, the better. “Could you pass as an extra assistant?” Kara nodded. “And after work?”

“I like to be close by my clients when they’re under as much danger as you are.”

Lena nodded. That seemed consistent with previous security details she's had when under direct attack. “I do have another question.”

“Shoot.”

“Your website, it doesn't have very much information. How do you sustain your business?”

She shrugged. “Word of mouth, mostly.”

“Okay, I have to interject here.” Officer Anderson stepped forward. “Ms. Luthor, I've been providing better protection than anything this little girl could.”

Kara frowned. “You let three people get in here without your knowledge.”

He shook his head. “Not my fault. The officers on the perimeter were obviously slacking off. I could take you right here and now. It would be over like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“Is that a challenge?” Kara asked, unperturbed.

Maggie placed a hand on his shoulder. “Anderson, man. Don't do this.”

He shook her off. “Stay out of it detective. You and me, let's go.”

Kara braced her hands against her thighs as she stood. “If you insist.”

“Try not to break too much,” Winn said, going to stand over by Maggie.

“Or break him too much,” James added, shoving the couch in the middle of the room off to the side. “He’s still one of National City's finest.”

Kara squared off with Anderson. The officer held his fists up, covering his face. Kara made no move to drop into a fighting stance. Standing side by side, Lena had to admit that the police officer looked like more of a threat.

Lena turned to Winn. “You're not the least bit worried?”

“Nah.” He shrugged. “Kara's taken down bigger and meaner guys than him.”

Anderson charged, leading off with a right jab. Lena winced, waiting for the point of impact but none came. Instead, Kara caught his fist, pulling it forward until he was off balance, throwing an elbow into the man's ribs.

Winn whooped. “Go, Kara!”

The officer coughed, winded, but ran at her again. This time, Kara didn't hesitate to lean forward, grabbing him around the middle and launching him off his feet.

James offered the man his hand. “And that would be the match.”

Anderson scowled but took accepted James’ help up. “I give.”

Kara beamed. “Is that enough to convince you?”

“I can pay you seven grand a week.” Lena held out her hand.

Kara took it, giving it another firm shake. “Deal.”


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this early because I am having a difficult day and nothing makes me feel better than giving you all a new chapter. My pain is your gain. Enjoy.

Lena was in her new kitchen, trying to open the box that held all of her cookware. She slipped her fingernail under a stubborn piece of tape, jerking her hand back when her nail bent. “Shit.”

“A box cutter would really help with that,” Winn said, carrying another box into the room. He set his burden down on the counter and pulled one from his pocket.

“Thanks.” Now properly equipped, she was able to open the box with ease. “I always forget what a hassle it is to move. Especially when it feels like I just unpacked at my last apartment. I’ve never had a house before, though.”

Lena had been talked her into purchasing a property in the hills of National City rather than an apartment. She'd been reluctant at first—she liked living downtown, only minutes away from work—but Kara had brought up several valid points.

“ _A house is easier to secure than an apartment,” she had said. “Plus with the high potential for collateral damage, a house with a bit of acreage will limit any civilian involvement_.”

It was worth the extra drive time to ensure that another attack wouldn’t hurt anyone but her and in the end Lena had chosen a five bedroom, three bath, ranch style home. The three acres the house sat on meant little to someone who hardly spent time out of her office but Kara assured her that the land would play to their advantage.

“This should be the last of it,” Kara announced, walking into the foyer carrying two boxes.

Unlike the previous times they’d met, Kara was dressed down today; jeans, tshirt, and a pair of sneakers. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun—not unlike the one Lena had wrestled her own hair into when sweat was plastering her hair to the back of her neck—but the difference was that Kara hadn’t even broken into a sweat.

“Do you need help?” Lena spied the writing on the box. If she remembered correctly, those were rather heavy.

“Nope, these are pretty light. They go in the bedroom?”

“The study, actually. Do you want me to—?”

“I got it.” Kara took off down the hall.

Lena kept forgetting that Kara and her team had spent more time here than she had. Winn had been the one to find the property—showing it to her while she was searching for apartment complexes. Once she’d pushed through all the paperwork, Winn and James had begun the moving process, preferring not to involve any unnecessary elements.

Lena returned her attention to the box of glassware. It took her a half an hour to unpack but once the box was empty, her kitchen was done. Rubbing the stiffness out of her neck, she wandered from the kitchen into the hallway.

The house was set up with bedrooms on two sides of the house, with the living room and kitchen in the hub. Winn and James had bedrooms on one side of the house, while Kara’s room, Lena’s bedroom, and study where on the other. The living room and her bedroom had been unpacked first or, more accurately, she unpacked her bedroom while Winn set up her entertainment center and James moved furniture.

She spied the clock, frustrated to see that it was already after five in the afternoon—another work day wasted after a week in police protective custody. In order to catch up, she was going to need to work well into the night. Sighing, Lena decided to unpack her study.

She pushed the door open until it hit the side of a box.

“Oops, sorry about that.” Kara appeared on the other side of the door, moving the obstruction with her foot.

“What are you doing in here?” She asked, walking into the room.

“I was just unpacking a few things.”

“I was going to do that. I have a system—” Lena looked to see her bookshelves were nearly full. She stepped closer, realizing that her texts were organized by subject and then author within that subject—exactly as she was planning to arrange them. “This is the correct order. How did you know?”

“Um, I saw how you had them before you packed it all up.” Kara smoothed a wayward piece of hair behind her ears.

“You remembered?”

Kara had been the one to help pack up her books but she didn’t think that was long enough to learn her system.

“I have a really good memory,” Kara explained. “Right, well, if you don’t want my help anymore then I should probably go.”

Lena wanted to stop her and clarify that she hadn’t meant that Kara should leave, but by the time she convinced herself to say something Kara had sidestepped her and was gone.

* * *

By the time Lena looked up from her computer screen, darkness had fallen. A quick glance to the clock revealed that it was one in the morning. She checked her inbox, relieved to see that the majority of her work was done. Figuring that she could deal with the rest in the morning, she pushed away from the desk.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten in hours. Figuring there was no harm in a midnight snack, she headed for the kitchen. She was surprised to see a light on when she arrived, and turning the corner she realized why.

Winn was seated at the kitchen table, a laptop open in front of him. “Lena, hey!”

She liked Winn. Over the last few days, he was the one she’d spoken to the most. Their conversations ranged from her protection to L-Corps’ latest projects and this year’s TED talks. It had been a long time since she’d had anyone to really geek out with and after he had called her Ms. Luthor seven times in one conversation, she’d given him permission to drop the formalities and just call her Lena.

“What are you doing up this late?” She’d thought he’d be asleep after all the manual labor they’d done today.

“I just finished setting up the security feed. Wanna see?” He turned his computer to face her.

Lena circled the table for a better look. On the screen there were several minimized windows, each with a different view of the property or inside the house.

“We set the inside ones up so they wouldn’t be too intrusive,” Winn explained. “The only places that have direct monitoring for are the exits. Most of the cameras we put up are outside so that we could see anyone coming a mile away.”

A shadow passed by one of the smaller windows and Lena watched its progress, her heart rate spiking. As the figure came into better view, the minimized window grew until it took up half the screen. “What just happened?”

“That’s James.” Winn squinted at the screen. “Nope, it’s Kara. We’re testing the program. If there’s any movement, the screen comes to the forefront so we know what sector the intruder is in.” The screen changed again. “See, _that’s_ James.”

“That’s impressive.” She pulled back, returning to her previous goal of having a snack. “Winn, can I ask…how did you get wrapped up in all of this?” She took a glass from the cabinet.

“What?” He looked up from his typing.

“Well, I just would have pegged you as working in a lab or something a little less dangerous.” She opened the freezer to get some ice, her mouth falling open when she saw it stuffed with frozen pizza, burritos, and other unhealthy foods. “What in the… Where did all this food come from?”

Winn laughed. “It’s Kara’s. She needs to eat a lot.”

“Oh.” She spied a pepperoni hot pocket box that had one left. She hadn’t had one of those in years.

Lena grabbed the box, feeling a little giddy inside. Lillian had always banned junk food from the manor, claiming that flash-frozen food was for the poor. When Lena had gotten out of that house and into university, she'd lived on only junk food and top ramen until she was sick of it and reverted back to a more balanced diet.

“Do you think she’d mind if I took one?”

Winn shook his head. “Nah, she’ll just think I ate it.”

Removing the individually wrapped item, Lena tossed the cardboard in the trash and retrieved a plate.

“And you’re right,” Winn continued. “I was the IT guy at CatCo. That’s where I met Kara.”

“At CatCo?” She placed the plate in the microwave and set the timer.

“She protected Ms. Grant once. There was a situation with a past employee.”

Lena remembered that. An ex-assistant had some kind of accident and blamed Cat Grant for her troubles. “She just asked you to come along?”

“No.” He looked down. “Actually, it was after the job ended—Kara and Ms. Grant stayed friends—and my father… Do you remember uh, Toyman?”

Lena nodded. Toyman was a genius toymaker that began turning his creations into bombs. He’d been in prison for a while but had recently escaped and was captured again. “Of course I do. His escape happened right before I came to National City.”

“Yeah, well. That’s my dad.” Winn smiled wryly.

Lena gaped at him. “That’s—”

He stopped her. “It's okay. I'm sure you know how it is.”

Lena couldn’t help but smile. She’d known that she felt a certain pull towards him. Who knew it was because they both had homicidal family members?

“But anyways.” He shrugged. “He came after me. Kara was at the office with Ms. Grant when the FBI showed up to question me. She heard what happened and she offered to help.”

“She did?”

“Yeah, she really helped me out when he came for me. When it was all over she offered me a job with her and I took it. I honestly don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t been there.”

Lena was stunned. As a business woman, she could understand offering your services to someone in need but she'd never heard of such a thing in private security. As a child of a family as stained as hers, she'd never known anyone to offer her so much as a pencil after they'd heard her last name.

The microwave beep grabbed her attention. Carefully, Lena removed the plate and set it on the counter to cool.

“Looks like our tests are complete. I should get some sleep now that we’re live.” Winn shut his laptop. “You should get some sleep too.”

“Goodnight, Winn.”

“Goodnight, Lena.” Giving her a half wave, Winn retreated down the hall.

Lena leaned against the counter and removed her hot pocket from its cardboard sleeve. She couldn't quite figure Kara out.

On the one hand, Kara was every bit the security professional that Lena expected from her previously employed war-weathered veterans. She had procedures for every situation, she commanded her associates like troops, and spoke with confidence.

On the other hand, Winn seemed to adore Kara as more than just a boss, and she'd caught James ribbing Kara good-naturedly until he’d spotted her watching them. After hearing Winn's story it was easy to see where the affection for Kara came from but James’ motivation was still unknown. She would have loved to hear how the Daily Planet's top photographer turned to private security but Lena got the distinct impression that he didn't like her.

“Midnight snack?”

Lena turned. Kara was in the kitchen, pulling down the hood of a dark hoodie.

“I kind of lost track of the time.”

“Is that one of my hot pockets?” Kara asked with a smile.

“Yes. I should have asked but—”

Kara held up a hand to stop her. “Hey, it's fine. Technically, you paid for it.”

Lena huffed. “That's not—”

“Relax, I was just joking.” Kara bypassed her, opening a cabinet and pulling out what looked like a rice crispy treat.

“Right. Well, I just wanted to thank you for your help. Thanks to you, I was actually able to get some work done.”

Kara tore open her snack. “It's my job.”

“No, it's not.”

Kara smiled. “I'm pretty sure my contract covers personal security and ‘other duties’. So I say it counts.”

“Well, I appreciate it all the same.”

“I’m going to get some sleep. I wouldn't want to be late for my first day at L-Corp.” And with that she shoved the entire treat in her mouth and waggled her fingers in farewell.

 _Yup_ , Lena thought, taking a bite of her food. _Still a mystery._


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that reviewed on the last chapter and to everyone who hoped I would have a better day. It was just a bad pain day but I'm better now. Anyways, I had some extra time so I'll post this now. Thank you.

Kara looked up from her notepad, checking for the third time this hour that Lena was still at her desk. Even without her x-ray vision, Kara could hear the furious scribbling of a pen and Lena’s steady heartbeat.

“Does she ever take a break?” Kara asked, looking to Lena’s actual assistant.

Jess scoffed. “Please, since you’ve been here it’s been like she keeps actual business hours.”

Jess was the only person besides Lena that knew Kara’s true function here at L-Corp. To anyone else, Kara was introduced as a second assistant. Surprisingly, many of Lena’s other employees welcomed her. They had confided that they thought Lena worked too much and after observing Lena’s working habits, Kara was inclined to agree.

Lena insisted on arriving before her assistant and leaving well after the rest of the building had cleared out. More than once, Kara found herself wondering when the last time Lena ate actually was and had taken to having Jess order her meals at regular intervals.

Kara shook her head. “That can’t be healthy.”

Lena was not the first CEO Kara had seen prone to overwork. Cat Grant came to mind but at least Cat took the evenings and weekends off to be with her son. Kara knew that running a business was hard, but Lena seemed to have her work cut out for her taking a business as stained as LuthorCorp, with her family’s penchant for creating anti-alien weapons, and turning it into L-Corp, a technology firm that was dedicated to bettering the lives of all citizens.

Even after they returned home and Lena dismissed her for the night, Kara would settle into the room that had been designated as hers and lay in bed listening to Lena moving about her study, working late into the night.

“I was going to go in there and give her these.” Jess dug a file from her desk.

“What are those?”

“Invoices,” Jess said, her voice lowering. “Ms. Luthor is footing the bill for the funerals of her previous security team.”

“I can take those in.” Kara held out her hand.

“Can you also remind her that she has that dinner meeting in an hour?” Jess asked, handing over the documents. “If I can get this filing done, she won’t have to come back to the office.”

“You got it.”

Kara liked Jess. She was an effective assistant that seemed to genuinely care for Lena. In fact, all of Lena’s employees seemed to be fond of their boss. It was a nice change of pace to be looking outside of a company for threats rather than spend her time eavesdropping on employees to figure out who had it out for their employer.

Kara knocked on Lena’s office door.

“Come in!”

Kara pushed the door open, heading for Lena’s desk. “Jess wanted me to give you these and to remind you that you have a dinner meeting soon.”

She opened the file Kara gave her. “Oh good, I’ve been waiting for these. I want to make a call about these before we leave; it should only take a moment. Do you mind?”

“Of course not. I’ll wait for you out here.” Kara left her to her phone calls and spent her time packing up her own things.

True to her word, Lena only took a few minutes to finish her errands before they were giving Jess the completed invoices and in the car. Their drive was quiet, only the directions to their destination spoken between them. When they arrived, Lena had the valet take the car away and they entered the restaurant.

Inside there was a man waiting. He was tall, with his dark hair slicked back, a smarmy smile plastered on his face. Kara knew immediately that she didn’t like him. She looked him over, using her x-ray vision to check for weapons—he wasn’t carrying anything more than a wallet and a phone.

“Ms. Luthor, pleasure to see you again.” He didn't even acknowledging Kara despite standing directly beside him.

Lena shook his hand. “Mr. Sionis, I’m glad we could get together while you were in town.”

A waiter appeared. “So, table for three?”

Sionis shook his head. “No, two and a table in a more private area.”

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Oh,” Lena started, gesturing to Kara. “I have my assistant with me and I was hoping she could join—”

“Nonsense, this is a private affair.” Sionis waved her off.

Lena looked over to her. “But I—”

Kara put a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry about it.” She was familiar with the layout of this building and reassured by her earlier assessment of the man. She could get Lena out of here without any problems should a situation arise.

“Stay close,” Lena whispered.

Kara nodded. So she wasn't the only one that felt the sinister vibes this guy was throwing out. “I’ll be at the bar.”

Kara watched as a waiter led them away, turning a corner into a secluded part of the restaurant. She headed for the bar, choosing a seat where she could use her x-ray vision to find Lena and Sionis through the wall as they were being seated. The bar area was crowded for a Tuesday night; more than one of the business men seated around her well into their cups by now.

She ordered a water, turning in her seat until she could focus her hearing on their dinner. Kara listened as they were seated, exchanging only pleasantries as the waiter took their order. Once they were alone, Sionis got down to business.

“I was wondering if you could dust off one of the plans your brother had for me.”

“Mr. Sionis, I’m sorry, but all of the previous projects that were started by LuthorCorp were discontinued.”

“Lena…” he crooned. Kara’s skin crawled at the way he pronounced her name. “I’ve been a good friend to your family for years. I know there has to be some way for us to come to an agreement.”

Lena cleared her throat. “I understand. But all of my brother’s research was seized by the government when he was arrested.”

Sionis leaned over the table. “He must have kept backups.”

Their waiter returned, giving them their drinks and an appetizer. Lena quietly thanked him, waiting to continue until he had left once more.

“If he did, I don’t know where they are. I’m sorry, but L-Corp’s focus is on—”

Sionis slammed his fists down on the table, causing Lena to flinch. “Dammit, stop giving me the run around!”

Kara abandoned her drink, walking faster than she probably should have until she was at Lena’s elbow. “Is there a problem here?”

Lena blinked up at her, surprised. “No, but this meeting is over.” She stood, grabbing her purse from the chair. “L-Corp is not interested in continuing my brother’s research. I’m sorry but you’ve wasted your time.

“This isn’t over, Luthor.” He made to grab her by the wrist but Kara was faster.

She pulled back his index finger until he howled. “I think she said this meeting was over.”

“Kara,” Lena said warningly.

She released him, putting on a fake smile. “Have a good night.”

He was cradling his hand to his chest. “Bitch.”

Kara grabbed Lena’s coat and ushered her out of the building. As soon as they exited, the attendant grabbed Lena’s keys and promised to bring their vehicle right away.

“I kind of wish we hadn't left my car with the valet.” She shivered.

Kara draped Lena’s coat over her shoulders. “Yeah, valet parking isn't conducive for a quick getaway.” Lena tightened her hold on the jacket around her.

Kara watched her charge carefully. Lena’s jaw was clenched, her shoulders slightly hunched, and her knuckles were white from how tightly she was holding her jacket. She knew there was no chance of any physical damage—she’d stepped in before that jerk could touch her—but it was obvious that Lena was shaken.

The valet arrived with the car and Lena made to go around to the driver’s seat but Kara opened the passenger side door and held it open. Sighing, Lena entered the passenger’s side seat. Kara closed the door, walking around to the driver’s side and sliding in.

“Did you want me to take you home?” She asked, buckling her seatbelt.

“I should probably go back to the office.”

“Well, Jess said she finished the filing. So the office is out.” It wasn’t an outright lie—Jess had been planning on accomplishing just that.

Lena pursed her lips. “Home, I suppose.”

Kara pulled out of the parking lot, stopping at the corner of the street. “You hardly had a chance to eat dinner. We should probably grab something.”

Lena turned to stare. “Are you the reason food keeps mysteriously arriving at the office?”

“Can you blame me? The more often I keep you fed, the less likely I am to lose my hot pockets.”

Kara saw the corner of her lips turn upwards. “That’s fair.”

“Okay, how about this. There’s a great Chinese place a few blocks from here. We can grab some takeout and then we’ll go home.” She’d been planning to get Chinese food tonight anyways, adding some extra to her order to feed Lena wouldn’t hurt.

“That sounds agreeable.”

“Great! I’ll call in the order so we don’t have to wait.” Kara pulled her phone from her pocket, hit a few buttons and held the device to her ear.

“Do you have this place on speed dial?”

Kara looked over to see Lena goggling at her. “Don’t judge me. You’re the one that likes kale.”

“Kale is a superfood, Kara.”

Kara’s breath caught at Lena’s use of the word ‘super.’ Even after being on Earth for over a decade, she couldn’t hear the word without her mind immediately snapping to her cousin. She wondered how Lena would react if she found out that Superman was her cousin—the youngest Luthor had made a point of distancing herself from her family’s anti-alien leanings but she hadn’t made any direct comments one way or the other.

The restaurant picked up the other line. “Hello, Royal Mandarin. How may I help you?”

Kara turned her attention to the other line, focusing on ordering their food. “Yes, hi, can I get…”

* * *

Lena leaned back in her seat, staring out the windshield at the tiny hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that Kara had disappeared into a few minutes ago. To pass the time, she pulled out her phone and checked her messages.

_7:03 p.m. Filing is done! Have a good night! — Jess_

So Kara hadn’t been lying when she said Jess had taken care of everything at the office. She wouldn’t have put it past Kara to try and convince Jess to lighten her schedule. Jess was already pretty vocal about Lena not burning herself out and once Kara had joined her in office, she’d mentioned on more than one occasion that Lena worked too hard.

It was actually surprising how quickly Jess and Kara had hit it off. At first, Jess had scoffed when Lena told her that Kara was her bodyguard; probably due to the fact that Kara had shown up at L-Corp in a brightly colored blouse, pencil skirt, and cardigan. Jess had shared her concerns when she brought her coffee but Lena assured her that Kara’s benign style had nothing on the fact that Lena had witnessed Kara flip a man twice her size just days prior. By the end of the day, Lena had exited her office to find Jess and Kara swapping stories about Cat Grant’s former assistants.

The driver’s door opened. “Okay, here’s the food.”

Lena took hold of the numerous bags Kara was handing her. “How much food did you order?” She tried to recall what Kara had told the restaurant over the phone but couldn’t remember anything other than ‘my usual order and a salad.’

“Well, I got food for James and Winn, too.” Kara resumed her position at the wheel, quickly clipping her seatbelt.

“No one can eat this much,” Lena said, arranging the seven bags between her lap and the floor.

“You are always underestimating me,” Kara quipped, pulling back into traffic.

Lena chuckled. “That may be true.”

Before, the idea of having her security detail follow her every step would be a source of constant annoyance, but Kara had a knack for putting her at ease. She supposed part of that was her appearance; Kara wore bright colors, knit sweaters, and wore her hair in many different intricate styles. Along with the black frames Kara wore every day to the office, Lena found the entire picture...endearing.

Which was very confusing when she was witnessing Kara nearly break the finger off of someone's hand.

“Okay, we’re here,” Kara said, slowing the car until she was parked in the driveway.

Kara grabbed the food and led the way into the house with Lena following behind her. As soon as they were past the threshold, Kara called out for the others. “James, Winn! Food!”

Winn reached them first, jogging out from his room. “Chinese, awesome.”

“What’d you get?” James asked, joining them at a leisurely pace.

Kara busied herself with unloading the bags onto the table. “Salt and pepper chicken wings, orange chicken, shrimp fried rice, house lo-mien, and of course, my pot stickers.”

The boys gathered around the table, grabbing paper plates out of the final bag.

“What’s this?” Winn asked, pointing with a plastic fork to the last unopened bag.

“I believe that’s mine,” Lena answered, reaching for her salad.

Winn gaped at her. “Is that all you’re eating?”

“It’s what I ordered.”

“No way! You have to at least try these chicken wings!” He gestured to one of the boxes.

“I don’t want to take any of your food.” Lena tried to back away from the table and ran into a surprisingly toned Kara. “How... so solid,” she whispered.

“Come on, there’s plenty,” Kara said, guiding her forward and handing her a plate.

“Yeah, so Kara won’t have any leftovers for tomorrow, she’ll live.” Kara nudged Winn in the ribs. “Ow!” He rubbed the spot on his chest as he sat.

Lena shook her head. She reached for the takeout box, bringing the dish towards her. She had to admit the food smelled delicious. “Alright.”

“Great!” Kara began serving her food.

Her eyes widened at the amount of food Kara was piling onto the paper plate. “Oh, I just wanted to taste a bit.”

“Just eat what you want, then.” She handed Lena a fully loaded plate, smiling.

Sighing, she took the plate. “Thank you.”

“Great, let’s eat!” Kara dropped into a chair beside Winn.

“Hey, we should play a game after dinner,” Winn suggested.

“I’m down for a game,” James said.

“Me too.”

Lena figured she’d leave them to make their plans. “I’ll just leave you all to eat. I’ll be in my study.”

Winn paused with a fork full of rice halfway to his mouth. “What? No! There’s plenty of room here.”

She shook her head. “No, you’re obviously planning to make a night of it and I don’t want to intrude.”

“Come on, Winn,” James said. “She’s too cool to hang out with us.”

Lena felt her stomach drop. “That’s not—!”

“But we’re so cool!” Winn protested.

Kara clicked her tongue. “Stop teasing her, James.” James snorted into his lo-mien. “But Winn is right,” she continued. “We are so cool.”

“Well, I’m cool,” James added. “You two are nerds.”

Lena forced a laugh. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“Let’s eat and then we’ll pick a game.” Kara pulled out the chair next to her.

Lena took her seat. “Alright, I give up.”

Winn and Kara cheered.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little time jump here.

Lena couldn't concentrate. It was after five in the afternoon but she'd hardly finished half of what she usually would have by this time in the day. Normally, she would be disappointed by her lack of progress but a smaller part of herself rationalized that she'd at least finished everything that needed to be done today—the rest of her work could wait until tomorrow.

It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the reason she was having so much trouble focusing at work, especially because the reason was currently sitting in the corner of her office.

Kara.

Lena glanced covertly over to study her. Kara was sitting primly on the edge of her couch, typing away at the tablet in her hand.

It had been a few weeks since Kara and Winn had invited her to join them for dinner and Game Night but it was something that they'd repeated several times since then. It was crazy how much fun Lena had engaging with the team and, much to her surprise, the feeling seemed to be mutual. In fact, throughout their game nights Lena felt like they'd grown closer—even James had begun to loosen up around her. It was nice. Almost as if she had friends.

But spending time with Kara was different.

They talked more. Their drives to and from the office—once filled with nothing but the morning news over the radio—was now a time for sharing details of their day, what plans they had coming in the upcoming weeks, and even a few personal anecdotes. Once, Kara had discovered that Lena hadn't yet listens to _Hamilton_ and they spent the next few days playing the cast recording over and over until Lena found herself humming ‘The Battle of Yorktown’ under her breath at a very important meeting. Musicals were then banned from the morning car rides.

Kara was also no longer trying to hide the fact that the food that showed up in the office was her doing. Now, she made a point of bringing it in whenever Lena wasn’t in the middle of a meeting. On more than one occasion, Lena had asked her to join her for the meal break. During those meals, Kara would try to convince Lena to taste some of whatever she was having and Lena countered by trying to make her eat a few more vegetables.

As if sensing her thoughts, Kara looked up from her tablet. “You okay?”

“I was just thinking of calling it a day.” She closed the top of her laptop.

Kara smiled. “Great, because I wanted to ask you something.”

“Does Winn want to try and play Risk again? Because I don't think I can stay up until three a.m. again tonight.” She shook her head at the memory of them playing last week, James snoring on the couch while Kara watched Winn try and prevent her victory. The next day had been hell but she still couldn't find it in herself to regret it.

“No, but I'll make sure and tell him to save that game for a Friday night,” Kara chuckled. “Actually, my sister's girlfriend just texted me to say there's a get together for my sister’s birthday tonight—”

“Oh,” Lena said, bringing her hands together. “Well, I always have more work to do so don't worry about me.”

Kara put down her tablet and stood. “I was planning on asking if you wanted to come.”

“You were?” Lena asked, eyebrows rising.

“I mean, if you don't want to that's totally fine.” Kara took a tentative step forward. “James and Winn were invited too so I can just send my gift with them and I can just tell Alex that we'll get together later—she knows I typically don't take time off during a job.”

How could she ask Kara to skip her sister's birthday? Alex was the main conspirator in many of Kara's childhood stories. “Where is the party?” Lena wasn't sure she would be comfortable in a stranger's house but if she knew in advance, she could prepare herself.

“A bar,” Kara answered. “It's kind of a dive but it's usually not too busy. And it'll probably be just us, Alex and Maggie, and maybe a couple of people from Alex’s work.”

Lena nodded. That didn't sound too bad.

“There's one more thing you should probably know before you decide.” Kara adjusted her glasses, refusing to look her in her eye.

“What?”

“The place we’re going is—” Kara took a deep breath. “It's an alien bar,” she said in a rush.

Lena blinked once...twice, trying to comprehend what Kara had just said. It took several moments for Lena to find her voice and when she did all she was able to say was, “oh.”

“Yeah, I didn't know how you would feel about that so I wanted you to know because I know I hate when people spring things on me and I didn't want to do that to you,” Kara rambled, her hands moving wildly as she spoke. “It's just that Alex and Maggie first met at that bar so I'm guessing that she thought it would be romantic.”

Was Kara only asking her because she thought there was a chance that she shared her family's anti-alien stance? Something about that thought made her want to assure Kara that she was different than her family. “No, no! That's not a problem; of course I'll go.”

Kara fixed her with a solemn stare. “Seriously Lena, if you don't want to go it’s completely fine.”

She took a deep breath. “It's really no problem. I'd be happy to go.” She tried for a smile and was relieved when she saw Kara’s shoulders relax from their tense position.

“Okay. We don't have to stay long.”

Lena waved her off. “Nonsense. I'm sure whatever time we spend there will be fine. What time does the party start?”

“In about an hour,” Kara said. “But I wanted to know if you wanted to grab something to eat in the meantime—they only really have fried foods at the bar.”

“Sure.” Maybe she would feel better prepared without an empty stomach.

“Great, grab your stuff and let's go.”

Lena’s eyes widened. “Right now?”

“You said you were ready to call it a night, right?” Kara asked. “No time like the present.”

“Right. Okay, let's go,” Lena said, standing quickly.

* * *

 

Kara watched Lena as she finished her food. Lena had started the evening seated rigidly in her seat—back straight, head held high, face impassive—but she had thankfully relaxed over the course of her meal. Kara had let Lena choose where they would go grab a bite to eat, figuring that dragging her to an alien dive bar was probably more than enough for one day.

Kara wished that there'd been another way to ask Lena about tonight but it was Alex’s first birthday with a girlfriend and Alex had chosen to leave all the planning to Maggie.

It was obvious that Lena had been thrown by the request—her eyes had widened and her heart rate had spiked despite the controlled tone of her voice. Kara had known it was a sensitive topic with Lena’s family history but after the last few weeks, Kara had seen the evidence of Lena's kind nature; with her employees and investors alike. Not to mention that she'd experienced another side of Lena through their game nights and meals together.

Across the table, Lena placed her napkin over her finished plate. “That was excellent, thank you.”

“I'm glad you enjoyed it,” Kara said. “I know you've wanted to come here.”

A waiter appeared at Kara's side. “How was everything, ladies?” Both of them voiced their approval before he continued, “would you like dessert?”

Kara looked to Lena but the woman shook her head. “Just the check.”

“Here you are.” He handed her the little black folder containing the bill.

“I got this.” Lena reached for her purse.

Kara used a burst of speed to retrieve her credit card. “Not a chance.” She slid the card into the folder and handed it back. “You’re doing me a favor, Lena. I told you tonight was on me.”

The waiter hovered as Lena’s eyes narrowed but Kara simply met her stare with a calm smile. Finally, she sighed. “Alright, but I get the next one.”

“Deal.” Kara smiled smugly when the waiter brought back her card, pocketing it as they exited the restaurant.

Lena didn’t speak again until they were in the car. “Did you need to stop back at the house? I thought you mentioned something about a present.”

“Winn said he’d grab it,” Kara answered, navigating them out of the parking lot.

* * *

 

Lena warily eyed the scenery around her, unable to remember if she'd ever been in a seedy back alley even in her rowdy boarding school days. Smoke rose out of exhaust vents from the surrounding businesses: a small deli and a mechanic’s shop. There was water on the ground despite the fact that it hadn't rained in months, the puddles deep enough to make a splash if she wasn't careful, and there was the smell of oil and rotten eggs coming from a graffiti covered dumpster.

“Are you sure we're going the right way?”

“It's just through here,” Kara said, pointing out a nondescript door that Lena had missed. Kara opened the door and waved her inside. “And don't worry, it's better inside than it looks.”

Lena hoped that was true because up until now there wasn't much to write home about. Nevertheless, she was determined not to ruin Kara's family event.

Thankfully, the interior did have a leg up on the location. There were cushioned booths lining the walls, with a handful of tables scattered around. A pool table was shunted off to one side, several arcade games, a vintage jukebox playing some country tune, a dartboard up against the wall, and there was even a small stage sporting a drum set. In fact, it looked no different from some of the college area bars Lena had visited.

Well, except for the fact that some of the bar's patrons were aliens.

Nearly everybody appeared human but there were several beings that had some alien traits displayed; someone with a ridged spine in a halter top, someone with a third eye, and...was there someone at the bar lapping up their drink with a forked tongue?

Lena tightened her grip on her purse. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

“There's Alex.” Kara wrapped her hand around Lena's elbow and led her over to a table.

“Hey, Kara! You made it!”

Lena recognized immediately Detective Sawyer, who was seated with Winn, James, and three other women. The woman with her arm slung across Sawyer’s shoulders must have been FBI Agent Alex Danvers, but the other two were strangers. Kara seemed to be known to everyone, however, because they all greeted her with various ‘heys’ and whoops.

“Okay. You know Maggie, Winn, and James,” Kara started, pointing to everyone in turn, “but this is my sister, Alex, and this is Lucy and Susan. They work with Alex. Everyone, this is Lena.”

“Hello,” Lena said, giving them all a tight smile.

They all chorused a ‘hello’ and that's when Lena noticed that they all had half finished drinks in front of them.

The woman squished into the wall, Lucy, waved. “Kara, pull up a chair for you and your friend and then grab me another beer.” She jabbed her finger into Susan’s shoulder. “This one won't let me out to go grab one.”

Susan scoffed. “I'm saving everyone. You already told me you wanted to put a twenty in the jukebox and play ‘What's New Pussycat’ a million times.”

Lucy pouted. “I would have thrown in a little ‘It's Not Unusual’ in there. I'm not a monster.”

“This always happens when you drink too much.” Susan rolled her eyes but there was an affectionate smile playing at her lips.

“Seems we’re a little late,” Lena said, casting a glance at Kara. Her bodyguard cleared her throat, adjusting her glasses and refused to meet her gaze. Had Kara planned their late arrival? “Ms. Danvers, a pleasure to meet you in person. Happy birthday, by the way.”

Alex removed her arm from Maggie's shoulders to shake her hand. “Thank you, Ms. Luthor. I appreciate you letting my sister join us.”

“Not at all, thank you for letting me crash your party.”

Alex Danvers seemed slightly more sober than her companions and Lena took the chance to look her over. She had dark hair that fell in curls by her chin, sharp features, and shrewd eyes; she was pretty but, for the life of her, Lena couldn't see any family resemblance between Kara and her sister.

Alex scoffed. “Yeah, well, Kara has a problem separating herself from her work.”

“Must run in the family,” Lucy stage whispered, drawing laughter from nearly everyone.

“Hey.” Alex leveled a finger at Lucy. “I am way better than I used to be.”

Kara hid her chuckle behind her hand. “Remember that time you missed Eliza’s birthday because you were pulling a double shift and you passed out in your apartment and missed the party?”

Alex cringed. “Hey, Mom forgave me for that!”

There was more friendly ribbing and then Kara was turning towards her.

“Do you want a drink?”

Lena nodded her head. “I'll go with you, I'd like to take a look at what they have.”

“So, a beer for Lucy. Susan?” Kara asked.

Susan tipped her half empty bottle. “I'm good for now.”

Winn sat up. “I'll take another—”

Kara cut him off. “You still owe me from last time.”

James snickered.

“Alex? Maggie.”

“I'm good.”

“Me too.”

“Okay, we'll be back.” Kara jerked her head towards the bar. “Let's go.”

“So, your sister and her friends seem nice. Not really what I'd expect from FBI agents,” Lena said as they approached the bar.

Kara laughed, leaning against the counter. “Yeah, they're all great. Lucy was in the Army before she worked with Alex. Susan—well, I actually don't know what she did before—it's only been in the last year that she even told me her first name. For a while she only let me call her Vasquez.”

“Okay, that's sounds more like the secretive government type.” They both laughed.

The bartender approached. “Kara! Nice to see you. It's been a while.”

“M’Gann! Great to see you. Will you be joining us?”

M’Gann nodded. “Once J’onn gets here. What can I get for you in the meantime?”

Kara looked to her and Lena took that as her cue. “What kind of scotch do you have?”

The bartender rattled off the list and Lena chose the first one that sounded familiar. When she was done, she yielded to Kara.

“Another one for Lucy, and I'll have a club soda.”

“You're not drinking?” Lena asked.

“Not while I'm on duty.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “You can have one.”

“Drinking on the job is usually frowned upon.”

“Kara, please, enjoy your sister’s party.”

“Fine,” Kara relented. “I'll have a Zecarian ale.”

M’Gann tapped the bar. “I'll grab those and be right back.”

There was a beat of silence before Lena decided to ask what was on her mind. “You know, you and your sister don't really look alike.”

Kara inhaled deeply. “Yeah, Alex is my adoptive sister.”

Lena felt her eyes widen. “You’re adopted?”

Kara lowered her eyes, her hands coming together. “My family died when I was twelve, the Danvers took me in after that.”

“Oh, god, Kara, I'm sorry for prying—” Guilt gnawed at her insides.

“No, don't worry about it.” Kara smiled at her. “It was a long time ago.”

“Still, I'm sorry.” Lena had had no idea that she and Kara shared that in their pasts.

M’Gann chose that moment to return with their drinks. “I'll add these to your tab.”

“Thanks.” Kara grabbed her drink and the beer, leaving Lena to take her own.

“So, you come here a lot?” Lena asked, trying to steer the conversation to a lighter topic.

“Whenever I'm in town. I'm… comfortable here.”

Lena didn't get a chance to reply before they were back with the others. Kara passed Lucy the drink and then dragged a chair over for Lena to put at the end of the booth before squeezing herself in next to Maggie.

Lena tried to keep to herself, not wanting to intrude into what was obviously so tight a group, but she found herself being drawn into the conversation anyways. By the time she was into her second drink, she was laughing easily—something she hadn't done since her days in college.

“Hey, do you want to play some pool?” Kara asked eventually.

Lena was wiping at the corner of her eye, which was watering from laughter. “Sure.”

“Have you ever played before?” Kara asked, leading her away from the table.

“A little, in college,” she answered, about to bring her drink before she realized it was empty. “I'm going to get another drink.”

Kara nodded. “I'll rack ‘em up.”

Lena headed for the bar, digging a twenty out of her jacket pocket.

“Another scotch?” M’Gann asked.

“Can I get a beer, actually?” Lena held out her cash and ordered whatever was on draft.

M’Gann poured her drink, sliding her glass over to her and promised to be back with change. Lena took the chance to sip at her beer. She turned to watch Kara and accidentally inhaled, nearly choking on her beer.

Kara was leaning over the pool table, reaching for a wayward ball. Lena had a full view of her behind and… had those pants been that tight when they were at the office? Lena cleared her throat, sputtering slightly and turning back to the bar.

“You okay there?” M’Gann asked, handing over her change.

“Um, yes, thank you.” Lena took the money and shoved it into her pocket. “I took too big a drink.”

M’Gann’s eyes drifted over to Kara and back, a wicked grin growing on her face like she'd known the true cause of Lena's mishap. “Riiight,” she said, drawing out the word. Suddenly, she looked over to the door. “Oh, good. J’onn’s here.”

Lena followed her gaze, thankful for a distraction, but when she saw who had just arrived, she froze. The man that had attacked her and killed two of her employees had just walked through the door. She could barely feel her beer slipping through her hands to crash on the floor as a scream bubbled up inside of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was enjoyable. I'm excited to get the story moving along.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a bit longer but I worked really hard on it so I hope you all enjoy it!

Kara heard rather than saw when Lena began to panic. Lena sharply inhaled, her heart rate changing from a steady rhythm to a panicked crescendo that drowned out much of the background noise of the bar. She turned in time to see Lena’s beer hit the ground. The sight of the glass shattering caused Kara’s hand to tighten around the pool ball she’d just grabbed, crushing it to dust.

 She sped to Lena’s side, angling Lena between herself and the wall. “What is it? What happened?”

“That’s him—that’s the one who attacked me,” she whispered into Kara’s back, her voice trembling. “We need to leave. Kara, your friends—”

Kara scanned the room, searching for threats. There was a tamaranian three feet from them that was busy stuffing his face with calamari, a couple of thanagarians playing darts, and some green durlans taking shots at a table in the corner; all of them had been in the bar for the last hour and none of them were anything close to a cyborg.

In fact, the only change was the fact that J’onn had just walked through the door. He had changed out of his DEO tactical gear, looking perfectly benign in jeans and a plaid button down.

Kara employed her x-ray vision but didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the vicinity. “I don't see anything.”

“Kara,” J’onn started, keeping his voice low. “It's me—she thinks I’m the threat.”

“That’s ridiculous. There’s no way she’s ever even met you!” Kara relaxed her stance.

Lena gasped behind her, grabbing Kara by the arm, her nails digging in through the fabric of her shirt; it would have hurt had she been human.

J’onn shook his head. “Not me. Henshaw”

Kara froze. “H-hank Henshaw?”

That was impossible, Hank Henshaw was dead. He died nearly ten years ago. Kara knew because she'd feel the consequences of that night for the rest of her long life—as would J’onn, Alex, and Eliza.

“Kara,” Lena whispered. Some part of Kara's brain registered that Lena was pulling at her.

J’onn held his hands up. “Ms. Luthor, I know what you think you're seeing but I can assure you... I am not him.”

Kara looked to Lena over her shoulder. “It's true. I know who you're thinking of but it's not him.”

“Kara, no,” Lena argued. “It's him! My mother sent him! We need to leave.”

Kara shook her head. “No, Lena. His name is J’onn. He's not a cyborg. He's an alien.”

Lena released the grip she had on her arm. “What?”

“J’onn?” Kara stepped to the side.

The space around J’onn shifted, a shimmering red distorting the edges of his body. His form stretched, adding another foot to his height, his skin turned green and his clothes faded into his traditional Martian armor, complete with cape.

“Lena, this is J’onn J’onzz.”

Alex chose that time to disengage herself from the others. “He works with us. We've known him for years.”

“He works with you at the FBI?” Lena asked, her voice clipped.

Alex exchanged a look with Lucy and Susan. “It's classified, but yes, he works with us.”

Kara looked at Lena. She was pale, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She took a couple of steps away from her. “I should get her home,” she told J’onn.

“She has questions,” he said, speaking only loud enough for her to hear.

“Who wouldn't?” Kara replied. She looked at her sister. “Sorry, Alex. I guess the party's over.”

Alex wrapped her in a hug. “Don't worry about it. I'll get to work on this. As weird as it is, at least we have an ID for her attacker.”

One by one, everyone got up from the table.

“We’ll get to work right away,” Lucy assured her, grabbing her hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

“We got this.” Vasquez clasped her on the shoulder.

“We’ll see you two at the house?” Kara asked Winn and James. They both nodded. “Lena?” Kara waited for Lena to pass her, her posture still rigid.

She was quiet as they left the bar but as soon as they reached the car Lena rounded on her. “I'd like an explanation.”

“As soon as we're back at the house,” Kara promised.

* * *

“I'm an alien.”

The statement hung in the air between them. Of all the things that Lena had expected when she demanded an explanation, this was the last thing she expected Kara to say.

“An alien?” Lena repeated, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against her desk.

They were in her study, the only light her desktop lamp. Lena had chosen this room without really thinking and Kara had followed, blurting out the truth just as soon as she'd closed the door.

Kara sat on the small loveseat in the corner—almost as if she was trying to put as much space between them as possible. “I arrived here when I was twelve after my planet died. The Danvers—Jeremiah and Eliza—they took me in.”

“I have powers on this planet, abilities that I would have never had back home. The biggest rule of the house was that I keep my abilities a secret, that I try to fit in.” Kara leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I thought it was because these powers were unnatural, that people would hate me if they found out. Part of that was true but they really meant for me to hide my powers for my own protection.”

“What do you mean?” Lena didn't understand. If Kara had powers that others didn't, what would she need protection from?

“I had been on earth for about six months. It hadn't been easy, trying to learn all of your customs while mourning the death of my family. I didn't particularly get along with my foster family either. I mean, Jeremiah and Eliza were nice enough but they weren't my parents and Alex… I was more of a constant embarrassment to her than anything else. But one day Alex took me to the beach with the rest of her friends. There was a car accident nearby and a woman and a baby were trapping in a burning car.”

Lena gasped. “You pulled them out?”

Kara nodded. “My foster parents weren't happy. I mean, they weren't mad, but they definitely impressed into me that I just couldn't go around doing things like that. I'd promised I'd be more careful but it was already too late.”

Lena pulled her desk chair out and sat.

Kara took a breath and continued. “They came for me in the middle of the night. Hank Henshaw and a few over agents. I was upstairs with Alex but I could hear everything they were saying. They told Jeremiah that they were with a secret branch of the government that dealt with alien threats.”

“I've heard rumors there were such agencies.” _More than one_ , Lena wanted to say.

“The DEO. Stands for the Department of Extraordinary Operations. They demanded that the Danvers hand me over.”

“But you were a child!”

Kara nodded. “That's what Eliza told them. Jeremiah straight up refused and slammed the door in their faces. It wasn't long before they were back with more force and an order signed by the President. It was Hank Henshaw that told Jeremiah to hand me over or they'd arrest them both for treason.”

An angry burning started in her chest. “So, they just let you go?”

“Not exactly. Jeremiah told them that if they were taking me, they'd have to take him as well.”

Lena closed her eyes. “He went with you.”

“Yes.” Kara looked down at the floor. “I was moved to the DEO full time but at least Jeremiah was there to watch over me. He took the position to be near me but he still got to go home, still got vacations and holidays. He tried to convince them to let him take me home, celebrate with the family but Henshaw refused. He said it would interfere with my training.”

“What kind of training?”

“Advanced tactical training,” Kara answered. “They didn't put me in the field at first; I was too untrained and I still hadn't mastered my powers. Henshaw was really pushing for it, though. I was fast and strong with superior sight and hearing; he wanted me out in the field as quickly as possible.”

“Jeremiah fought him on it,” Kara continued, “so Henshaw said that if he was so eager to keep me out of the field that he was going to go in my place. He never returned from that mission.” She looked so sad, Lena thought, her hair spilling across her shoulders and tears swimming in her eyes behind the glasses.

Lena’s fingers twitched with the urge to touch her. “Kara…”

Kara took a deep breath and finally looked up. “Henshaw returned—at least someone we thought was Henshaw—but it was all different. He didn't smell the same, for one, and he was… different.”

“The Martian,” Lena said.

“J’onn,” Kara corrected gently. “Yeah, he came to me and told me what happened. Jeremiah and Henshaw were on a mission to capture him. Only, Henshaw wanted J’onn dead before he was brought in. They argued and when Henshaw had J’onn cornered, Jeremiah stopped him. They fought and Henshaw went over a cliff but not before Jeremiah had been wounded.” She took a breath. “J’onn told me that he'd promised him that he'd look after us—Alex and me—before he died. So he returned as Hank Henshaw to do just that.”

“He stole his identity.” It made sense if he could shapeshift like Lena had witnessed earlier.

“He apologized to me because he couldn't just let me go, it'd look too suspicious, but he promised to never stop trying. The intense training stopped and I was never sent back out into the field. A lot of the more seasoned agents were transferred or let go and new agents took their place—agents that J’onn had hand picked. Finally, just before I turned sixteen, he told me they were retiring me. The official story was that I was failed project—that I couldn't harness the powers I had and that no useful powers were presenting themselves—and I was sent back to the Danvers.”

“Then what happened?” Lena didn't mean to pry but her curiosity burned.

“Eliza and Alex welcomed me back. I went to high school, and then followed Alex to college. I made myself fit in. When I graduated I had no clue what I was going to do. And then J’onn called me.

He told me that there was a senator that needed some extra protection but it had to be discreet. I was trained and young; I could blend in as an intern.”

“Olivia Marsden.” Kara had mentioned before that she protected their current president before her days in the Oval Office.

For the first time in hours, Kara smiled. “She’s amazing. Once my detail was over she offered me a job with her, anything I wanted, but I wasn't interested in politics so I turned her down. She was the one who gave me the idea of starting my own security firm.”

Kara’s smile grew wider. “She told me ' _You could help people, anyone you chose._ ’ It ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. I have friends now, a purpose, and a way to put all of my training to good use. It just seemed… fitting.”

“I don't know what to say.” For Lena, this was a lot of information to take in at once.

“You don't–I mean… you don't have to say anything.”

Lena may not necessarily _need_ to say something, but she wanted to. Anything to banish the frown from Kara's mouth or smooth the uncertain crinkle in her brow.

“I do have a question for you,” Kara said, standing.

“Anything.” Lena meant it. She'd answer anything just for something to hold onto, something to focus on.

“Do you still want me to protect you? It's fine if you don't, I have other contacts who are mostly human. I can get someone to take my place.”

Lena considered that. Did it bother her to know that Kara was an alien? Lena examined her. In the dimmed light of her study, Kara didn't look any different than she had this morning when she'd handed Lena a cup of coffee with a brilliant smile, or when she was laughing with Winn at some dumb joke during game night, or wishing someone a nice day as they were leaving the office. Standing before her was simply Kara, the woman she'd hired to protect her and whom she'd grown close to over the past few weeks.

“I don't want anyone else,” she said finally.

“Okay. Well, it's late.”

Lena saw that Kara was right—it was after midnight. “Sleep would probably be best. What are you going to do?”

“I'm going to do a sweep of the perimeter before going to bed. Alex said she'd call me in the morning to brief me on what they could dig up about the situation.”

“Goodnight, and thank you for telling me.”

Kara paused at the door. “It seems we’re all caught up in this. It’s only right that you should know.” With that, Kara left.

Lena didn't move until she heard the front door close shut, standing and walking on unsteady legs to her bedroom. She stripped out of her work attire, trying to process everything she'd just learned.

Kara had been taken, forced to work for a government she barely knew while she was just a child. That infuriated Lena to no end, overshadowing any opinion she may have had on the fact that Kara was an honest to god alien. Kara had been seen only as a weapon to be molded and used.

Even Kara's reprieve from duty had been soured by the loss of her foster father and the delay in her release. As much as Kara seemed alright with the fake Henshaw showing up tonight, Lena had no idea how she could have possibly reconcile the face of her oppressor with a friend, no matter who was really beneath the mask.

And now the same man that had stolen so much from Kara was after Lena as well. It was one hell of a coincidence. As she climbed on to bed and turned out her lights, Lena wondered how much her mother knew about Henshaw’s past.

She fell asleep some time later, her brain conjuring pictures of Hank Henshaw, the room the same sickly red as his cybernetic eye, his face twisted with rage. She was cornered by him, except beside her was a young blonde girl with scared blue eyes.

“Lena.”

Henshaw was shaking her. _No!_

“Lena!”

Lena's eyes snapped open to see Kara standing above her. “Kara, what's wrong?”

Kara frowned down at her. “You were crying out in your sleep. You must have been having a nightmare.”

Kara was wearing gray sweats and a baggy National City University t-shirt. Lena must have woken her.

Lena quickly took stock of herself. Her breathing was erratic, her pulse too quick beneath her skin, and a light layer of sweat was causing her hair to stick to the back of her neck. “Nightmare, yes. Thank you for waking me.”

“I just… I heard you call out so I was worried something was wrong.” Kara pointed to the door. “I'll let you get back to sleep.”

“Wait!”

Kara paused. “Hm?”

In those clothes, Kara looked far younger than Lena had ever seen her and she couldn't bear to have her out of her sight quite yet. “Can you stay?”

“Of course.” Kara looked around for a place to sit. “I'll just…”

Lena cursed herself, she didn't have any furniture in her bedroom other than her chest of drawers and her bed—a habit long drilled into her because Lillian didn't believe that a bedroom was for anything other than sleep.

Lena shifted to the side, throwing the covers back. “Here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I'm sure. Please, I just…” She'd already asked for too much and the longer Kara stood there, the more she regretted asking her to stay.

Kara sat on the bed, her back against the headboard. “There, now try and get some sleep.”

Lena settled herself back down, shivering slightly from touching the previously unused side of the covers. Not wanting to face Kara and make things more uncomfortable than they already were, Lena rolled over until Kara was facing her back. “Goodnight, Kara.”

There was a sigh and then Lena felt the bed shift as Kara scooted into a more comfortable position. “Good night.”


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. So it's been...6 months? That can't be right. More like 5 and some change. I promise I had a good excuse. I had a baby. And those little ones take up a lot of time. But I'm back at work now and that comes with some down time that I can use to write!
> 
> Anyways, here you go.

Lena was encompassed in warmth. Her limbs felt heavy, her arms wrapped around something soft, one foot hanging off the edge of the bed, and her hair was over her face, blocking the light.

“Lena.”

Lena groaned, burying her face further into her pillow. She couldn't remember the last time she was this comfortable and she wasn't ready to get up quite yet.

“Hey, that tickles.”

Tickles? Why would her pillow—?

Lena's eyes snapped open as the previous night's events came flooding back.

Instead of finding her usual pile of pillows Lena found that she was lying diagonally on the bed, using Kara as her pillow. Her arms had been wrapped tightly around Kara’s waist while her head had been tucked under Kara’s shoulder. She jerked back, mortified when she saw a wet spot on Kara's shirt from where her mouth had been.

She wiped at her bottom lip and found half dried drool. “Oh my god,” she whispered.

“Sorry I took over the bed.” Kara ran a hair through her hair. Even tangled from sleep, Kara looked radiant.

“You’re sorry?”

“Alex says I’m a bed hog. It used to drive her nuts when we were kids.” Kara pushed off the bed and turned to Lena with a sheepish smile that caused the skin around her nose to scrunch up. “Plus, I’m kind of clingy when I sleep.”

Lena wasn’t sure if Kara was being serious or just giving her a way to save face. “No, it’s not a problem—” Any further comment was cut off as Kara turned her back on Lena and stretched, raising her arms above her head. Lena felt her mouth drop open as Kara’s shirt rode up revealing the smooth expanse of her back, lines of muscles visible as Kara continued her stretch.

Kara turned, giving Lena an eyeful of her front just before her arms fell to her side and hid what looked to be a six pack underneath the soft cotton of her shirt. “Are you okay?” she asked, scrutinizing her.

Lena blanched, quickly closing her mouth and clearing her throat. “Yes, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“Well, it’s Saturday. Were you planning on going in to work?”

It was tempting to say yes and have a reason to put some distance between them but she usually tried to work from home on the weekends so that Jess wouldn’t have to sacrifice much time with her son. “I think I can do the majority of it here, actually.”

“Okay, I need to go see Alex and see what kind of information she’s managed to dig up. I’ll fill you in as soon as I get back.”

“Thank you. I’m just going to go—” Lena felt her eyes beginning to drift over Kara’s body and cleared her throat again. “I’m going to go take a shower.”

Lena fled to her in-suite bathroom, locking the door and bracing herself against her sink. She strained her ears to see if she could hear Kara leave the room and eventually there was the telltale closing of her bedroom door and Lena allowed herself to relax her tense position.

A certain amount of attraction was expected, Kara was wonderful after all; with all the good work she'd done since starting her business and everything she'd been through. It didn't help that Kara was one of the most beautiful women Lena had ever seen. Even now, Lena couldn't stop thinking about Kara’s long blonde hair that she'd spent the night feeling between her fingertips—it really was as soft as she thought it would be—with her perfect sun kissed skin that covered lean and defined abs that made Lena want to run her tongue ove—

Shower. She needed a shower.

Lena turned on the water and shed her clothes, stepping into the spray without waiting for the water to heat up. She couldn’t have a crush on her bodyguard. It was ill-advised, relationships never worked for her. Her family or her schedule always killed it, if anyone wanted to try at all. Plus, they were too different—literally from different planets—there was no way that anything between them could work. It would only be a matter of time before she’d wreck it. Turning the water to a punishing cold, Lena tried to put the image of Kara’s bare skin out of her mind.

* * *

Kara stepped into the elevator, fumbling slightly as she rearranged the coffee cups in her hands so that she could hit the button for the floor she needed. Several seconds passed and the metal box she was in didn’t move. Frowning, she stepped forward and pressed the ‘close door button’ again and again until the hard plastic cracked under her thumb.

“Whoops,” she whispered, pulling her hand back.

Finally, the doors closed and she was lifted to the correct floor. When the doors opened Alex was on the other side, waiting for her.

“Is that for me?”

Kara blinked at her. “What?”

“The coffee.”

Kara looked down. “Oh, yeah. Here.”

Kara handed the coffee over, opening and closing her fingers reflexively now that her grasp was empty. She shifted her own cup to be held in both hands, thankful she brought something for herself. Taking a deep breath, Kara stepped out of the elevator.

Alex took a long pull of her coffee. “Ah! I needed that.”

“Please tell me you haven’t been here all night.” Kara fell in step beside her sister. They walked through the majority of the DEO’s base of operations in the process. Most of the operatives gave her a wide berth, only Vasquez greeted her as they passed.

“I haven’t. I went home for a few hours so and I barely got in a few minutes ago.” Alex took another drink of her coffee.

Right, like she believed her. “Alex,” Kara started.

Alex shrugged. “Whatever, either way, it paid off. But first, tell me how it went last night.”

Kara exhaled heavily. “She took it better than I expected.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose. “How much did you tell her?”

Kara twisted the cardboard sleeve on her coffee. “About that…”

“Kara!”

“It just came out.”

“You can’t go around telling clients about yourself!”

“I don’t tell everybody!” Kara huffed.

“Cat Grant?”

“Leslie Willis got superpowers when that helicopter crashed into the power plant! I had to use my powers to keep Cat safe.” Kara had been shocked with enough electricity to stop an elephant and ended up heat visioning a ceiling sprinkler to gain the upper hand. Cat had seen everything and demanded an explanation.

“Winn?”

“I told him because I wanted him to come work for me.”

“Lucy Lane?”

“Hey, she wasn’t a client!” She told Lucy when she moved out here to be with James and they’d become friends. Just because Lucy and James hadn’t worked out didn’t mean that Kara regretted letting her in on her true identity.

“So Lena was fine with it?”

Kara nodded, thinking of the look on Lena’s face when she’d asked Kara to stay the night. “More than fine.”

“Are you going to try and recruit her too?” Alex rolled her eyes.

Kara smirked. “What would she even do? The team’s full.”

“She could bankroll you so that you wouldn’t starve.”

“I’ve never starved.” Close to it, but it wasn’t as if she’d die from lack of food. “I eat just fine.”

“When you’re on the job, yeah; but in between I spend a ridiculous amount at Costco stuffing your pantry!”

“I always tell you that you don’t have to do that.” Just as she always did, Alex waved her off. “But, honestly, thank Rao for Costco," she added. 

“Amen, sister.” Alex pushed the door to her lab open.

Kara found herself releasing a relieved sigh when they passed through the tempered glass walls of Alex’s lab. “So you said your lack of sleep was worth it. What did you find out?”

Alex pulled a file off her desk. “We had the personnel files for Hank Henshaw updated when J’onn came out of hiding. J’onn’s official account of Henshaw’s disappearance is detailed there.”

Kara took the file and flipped through its contents. “He went over the side of a thirty foot cliff,” Kara read. “Hard to believe anyone could have survived that without superpowers.”

Alex crossed her arms over her chest “Neither did the rest of the strike team. They searched for over twelve hours but couldn't find a body.”

“So the trail goes cold.” Kara closed the personnel file.

“In our records, yes.” Alex reached over, flipping the file to the Objectives page. “But there was a clue here.”

Kara looked it over. Most of the page was redacted, only a few sentences remaining. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“Here,” Alex pointed.

Kara read aloud. “...seeking target along with agents from…and then it's redacted. Wait, it was a joint operation?”

“And at the bottom. Target to be turned over alive or dead to... And it's redacted again but if it’s what I think it is, and then it's referencing the same agency.”

“What agency?” Kara hadn't exactly been privy to much when she was held here.

“Cadmus.” Kara frowned and Alex noticed immediately. “What?”

“I've heard that name before.”

Alex froze, her eyes widening. “When?”

“It was Hank Henshaw, the real one. I remember him threatening Jeremiah once.” Kara played with the edge of the paper.

“My dad?”

“Hank told him that if I didn't shape up he would ship me to Cadmus. I remember asking Jeremiah what it was but he wouldn't say.” Alex's jaw clenched. “What? What is it?”

“Cadmus is… well, it's the reason your cousin would never work with the government, for a start.”

Kara waited for her to continue.

“Cadmus is a branch of the government, much like us, but where the DEO is responsible for the protection of earth, Cadmus is responsible for trying to weaponize alien technology and physiology.”

Kara felt a chill run through her. “I see.”

“It was supposed to have been shut down but there have been rumors…none of them substantiated, of course.”

“So, Hank Henshaw gets saved by Cadmus—they enhance him, turn him into a cyborg, whatever---and he stays off the radar until now? Becomes a gun for hire?”

“Either that or Cadmus isn’t as shut down as we’d hope and he works for them.”

“So how does Lena’s mom get him to perform a hit for her?”

“We don’t know much about Lillian Luthor,” Alex started, pulling a much smaller file towards her. “She was Chief surgeon at Metropolis Methodist until she resigned when Lex was arrested. After that she seems to have disappeared. She even let her medical license lapse in the past six months.”

“Do you think she could be involved with Cadmus?” Kara asked.

“She’d have the know-how—she was heavily into medical research in her spare time—if she shared her son’s prejudices against aliens then I could see her joining them. I hope that’s not the case because I can’t think of a more dangerous scenario than a Luthor involved with a rogue branch of the government.”

Kara bristled on Lena’s behalf. “Hey. Lena’s a Luthor and she isn’t bad at all.”

Alex held her hands up. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m the one that gave you her number, remember?” Kara nodded and Alex continued. “I just meant that Lillian is an unknown entity at the moment. We need more information if we’re gonna dig any deeper.”

“I’ll talk to Lena.” Kara snapped the file shut and handed it back.

“Let me know.” Alex tossed the file back onto her desk. “And please be careful.”

“I’m a big girl Alex.” Kara hovered by the door. “Plus, it’s my job to protect people.”

“And it’s my job to protect you.” Kara rolled her eyes. Alex saw. “I’m serious. The things I’ve heard about Cadmus…I just don’t want them anywhere near you.”

“I’ll be careful, Alex,” Kara said solemnly. “I promise.”

“Good,” Alex nodded. “Because mom would yell at me if I let anything happen to you.”

Kara chuckled. “Well, we wouldn’t want that. Sister Night soon?”

“You got it.” Alex opened her arms for a hug and Kara allowed herself to be pulled in. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Yeah,” Kara replied, holding tight. “Soon.”


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I've been playing around with this chapter forEVER and I just can't look at it any more. Hopefully it's not too bad.

Kara knocked at Lena’s office door and waited, half listening to the steady thrum of Lena’s heartbeat from the next room.

“Come in.”

Kara pushed the door open, not bothering to close it behind her. “Hey.”

Lena was seated at her desk with one leg drawn up on the chair. She was dressed more casually than Kara had ever seen her outside of her pajamas, in a black pair of leggings and a gray oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was still partially damp from her shower earlier and her face was scrubbed clean of last night’s smudged makeup.

Lena’s heart rate increased as she spotted her, her cheeks coloring slightly. “Productive trip?” she asked, her voice an octave higher than normal.

Was Lena on edge seeing her? Kara wondered. Maybe she’d overestimated to Alex how accepting Lena had been about her alien heritage.

“Um, a bit,” Kara admitted, stopping just past the door to give Lena some space. “We dug up Henshaw’s personnel file and we have a theory on what happened. Have you ever heard of Cadmus?”

Lena’s brow creased. “Cadmus?”

Kara took a deep breath and filled her in on what Alex had revealed. By the time Kara was done, Lena’s face had drained of color.

“That’s terrible,” Lena said.

“So I take it you’ve never heard of them?”

Lena shook her head. “No—but after what my brother’s done I wouldn’t be surprised to hear he somehow had ties to them.”

“And your mother?” Kara probed. “We were wondering if you had any information about your mother that would help us track her down.”

Lena grabbed a pen off the desk and busied herself with removing the cap, not meeting Kara’s eyes. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Anything you can think of would help,” Kara said, leaning back against the wall and clasping her hands together in front of her.

“I haven’t seen my mother in almost a year. Not since I caught one of my brother’s goons trying to break into the LuthorCorp vaults looking for his research and I turned everything over to the FBI.” Lena’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “Thanks to my cooperation, the judge realized the extent of my brother’s plans to rid the world of aliens. He was moved from a state penitentiary to a more secure facility—they wouldn’t allow visitors any more. After that, my mother burst into my office and told me I was a disgrace to the Luthor name and that I’d be sorry. It was the most impassioned I’d ever seen her.”

“Wow, Lena, that’s…” Kara started to take a step forward.

Lena continued over her. “It was hardly the worst thing she’d ever said to me. That would have to be after Lex’s trial when she revealed that I wasn’t adopted out of the goodness of Lionel’s heart but because I actually was his daughter; except she used more colorful words.” She glanced back down at her hands.

Kara wanted to say more but she could tell from the tense set of Lena’s shoulders that her words would have no impact. “So that was when the assassination attempts started?”

“Yes. My brother considered his move a betrayal and vowed revenge as well.” When she looked back up at Kara, her face had softened. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”

Kara held up her hands. “Please, don’t apologize. You’re not responsible of keeping tabs on your family.”

“I suppose I just feel guilty. This situation has become a lot bigger than I originally thought.”

“That’s not your fault,” Kara assured her.

“Logically, I know that…”

“But it still doesn’t get rid of the feeling. I get it.” It was how she felt whenever Alex mentioned Jeremiah. “We’ll just have to lie low a little while longer, I’m sure Alex will be able to crack this.”

Lena began rifling through her desk. “I wanted to talk to you about that.” She found a half page envelope, removed the card from inside and handed it to Kara.

“What?” Kara took the card from Lena, her expression hardening as she read the title. “No. There’s no way.”

Lena feigned a grimace. “I’ve already RSVP’d yes.”

* * *

This is a terrible idea,” Kara grumbled, looking around the entrance to the National City zoo.

The city’s elite was out in force tonight, everyone showing up to enjoy the private event that promised an exclusive guest list, free booze, and a nice tax write-off for anyone who donated to the cause of the night. Try as she might, Kara could not get Lena to reconsider attending. It left her with only one choice—go to the party as Lena’s plus-one to ensure her safety.

A small beep echoed in her ear and Winn’s voice came out of the earpiece she’d placed there earlier. “ _Relax, will ya? We have this place wired_.” He’d spent the previous night hacking in to the Zoo’s security feeds so they could monitor the party.

“Wired or not, this could turn very bad, very fast.” Kara twisted the beaded clutch she had in her hand, stopping before the fabric tore apart. “We make one round of hello’s, get your picture taken, and then we’re out of here.”

Next to her, Lena leaned in close enough for her shoulder to brush Kara’s arm. “I’ll try to make this quick.”

Kara had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Those words were always a dead giveaway that their evening was shot because no matter how hard Lena tried, she could never extricate herself from her work. That fact didn’t change now that they were at a Gala Fundraiser to raise money for the local children’s hospital which needed a new oncology wing.

“I mean it, Lena. There’s too much that can go wrong.”

“I know, but I have to do this. After everything that’s happened, the public needs to see a Luthor making a positive impact. Just dropping off a check isn’t enough—I want them to see that I care.”

Kara felt the beginnings of guilt flutter in her stomach. She sighed. “You’re right. Take as much time as you need.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s head in.” Lena wrapped her hands around Kara’s bicep, Kara’s skin tingling where they connected.

Kara cleared her throat, forcing herself to smile as Lena led her inside. Lena had been initiating physical contact with her more and more over the last several days—from lingering hand touches when Kara passed Lena anything at the office, to a warm hand on the small of her back when Lena moved around her in the hallway at home—and it threw Kara off guard every time.

Luckily, she didn’t have time to dwell on it before they were beyond the entryway. Bright streetlights lit up the walkway with red velvet ropes herding the guests away from the charmingly named exhibit streets—Treetops Way and Big Cat Trail, to name a few—and down the main road to sectioned off area with tiny standing tables where waiters were milling about handing out passed hors d'oeuvres. There was a ten piece band in the corner and zookeepers filtered in and out of the guests with various small animals.

“Lena!” Someone called out.

Kara turned in direction of the voice to see some guy coming towards them. ‘Smarmy’ was the first word that came to mind when Kara saw him; everything from his custom suit to his pinky rings screamed money and he knew it. From the way Lena stiffened beside her, Kara assumed that Lena was already well aware of who this man was.

“Oh, great,” Lena muttered under her breath before plastering a fake smile on her face. “Morgan Edge, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”

Morgan opened his arms wide as if expecting a hug but Lena made no move to reciprocate. After a beat, he cleared his throat and pulled at the bottom of his suit jacket.

“And who is this with you?” He asked, turning his attention from Lena to her.

Kara fixed him with a tight smile. “Kara Danvers.”

“And how do you know Lena?” He asked, sizing her up from head to toe. Kara resisted the urge to punch him.

“Kara is a friend,” Lena said, no longer smiling.

Morgan chuckled. “I don’t understand why anyone would bring anyone to these pointless things. The whole purpose of these things is to find the prettiest woman to go home with.” He smirked at the two of them.

Did he think his admission would make either of them warm to him? “I thought the point was to raise funds for the children’s hospital’s new oncology ward,” Kara said pointedly.

He grimaced. “Is that what tonight is? I’ll have to fire my assistant. I thought I told her not to say yes to anything so unnecessary.”

Lena had, apparently, had enough. “If you’ll excuse us, I see someone I need to speak to.”

He simply shrugged. “Maybe I’ll stop by again later.” They didn’t bother answering him as they leave him standing alone by the entrance.

“Good thing you got us out of there. I was getting ready to pound that guy into the ground.”

Lena laughed. “I would pay to see that. Unfortunately, people like him are unavoidable at things like this. However, I did see someone I need to speak to.” She nodded towards one of the standing tables where an elderly woman was chatting with a few other well-dressed patrons. “But after I get a drink.”

They make it to the bar without any more interruptions and the bartender greets them and asks for their order. “Scotch, whatever you have, neat.” Lena turns to her. “Kara?”

“Oh, nothing for me.”

“Nothing?” One of Lena’s eyebrows arch upwards.

“It wouldn’t really do much for me,” Kara reminded her.

Lena nodded. “Right.”

“I want to check out the perimeter. Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. But we’ll be moving to the dining area next.”

“I’ll be back before then,” she promised.

She left Lena at the bar and headed for the edge of the party, pretending to be looking for the restroom when one of the waiters saw her. When she was out of eyesight, Kara scanned the venue with her x-ray vision. She spotted the guests, the caterers, and the waiters but beyond that, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

She touched the small speaker in her ear. “Winn, all clear on your front?”

“ _Nothing to report_ ,” he said. Kara could hear the soft crinkle of a bag of chips. “ _I’ve been monitoring any major events nearby too but it’s all quiet.”_

“Thanks, Winn. I should get back.”

“ _Over and out, boss_.”

Kara wandered back to the party just in time to see the guests making their way to the dining area. She spotted Lena in the crowd and quietly took up the space beside her. “Dinner time?”

Lena jumped when she realized she was there. “There you are. Everything okay?”

“Perfect.”

Lena smiled. “Great, let’s go.”

Kara followed Lena to the zoo’s small theater. The chairs had been cleared out and replaced with elegant tables for the event, ushers waiting to show them to their assigned seats. They were seated with two other couples that Lena seemed to know and they all made polite conversation until the hospital’s chairman of the board stood and addressed the crowd. He thanked everyone for attending and encouraged donations before the dinner was served with more champagne. It was vile to Kara but Lena seemed to tolerate it well enough, drinking Kara’s after her own glass was empty.

After that, Lena’s companions steered the conversation more towards business and Kara zoned out a bit. Twenty minutes later, Lena was showing no signs of slowing in her conversation and Kara was itching for something to do.

“I’m going to grab a drink,” Kara said, leaning in close so she didn’t disrupt the conversation. “Do you want anything other than champagne?”

“Another scotch, please.”

“You got it.” Kara stood, excusing herself and heading for the bar.

She was halfway to the bartender when there was a gentle hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw none other than Cat Grant smiling up at her.

“Cat!” Kara wrapped her arms around the other woman. “I didn’t know you were in town. I thought you were still in D.C.”

Cat patted her indulgently on the back. “I was,” she said, pulling back. “But Carter was at that hospital once upon a time and I’m still on the chief of surgery’s mailing list.” She shrugged. “It’s for a good cause so I decided to make the trip. I take it you’re here on a job?”

“Yes.”

Cat’s eyes lit up with excitement. “With who?”

Kara shook her head. Cat was always searching for a story, even if she wasn’t strictly a journalist anymore. “You know I have a strict confidentiality policy.”

“You and I both know that you’re no good at keeping secrets.” She winked.

Kara chuckled. Rao, was that ever true.

“You know, I still haven’t forgiven you for stealing Winslow from me. Since he left, CatCo can’t find anyone half as good, or half as cheap.”

“I’m sure he’d be delighted to know that.”

Cat rolled her eyes but anything she was about to say was cut short when she spotted Lena approaching them. Her face was oddly blank and she was moving faster than would be considered polite in a dress.

“Kara,” Lena said once she was in range. “I was wondering where you’d gone to.”

“My, my. Lena Luthor.” Cat casts Kara a sidelong glance.

Lena offered Cat her hand. “Cat Grant. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I hope I wasn’t monopolizing your date,” Cat said, smirking as she shook Lena’s hand. “We were just catching up.”

“We aren’t—” Kara started.

“Not at all,” Lena said. “I can share for a bit.”

The bartender chose that moment to ask for their drink orders. Lena ordered a drink—a double of some expensive scotch—before addressing Cat again. “We should really get back to our table. Kara?” She looked to Kara expectantly.

“I guess that’s my cue. It was great seeing you again, Cat.”

“I’ll stop by your table later,” she promised, turning her back on them to ask for a glass of bourbon, effectively dismissing them.

When they were halfway back to their table, Lena spoke. “So, you seem fairly close to Cat Grant.”

“We worked together a while back.” Even now, Kara still found it hard to disclose the details of her time with Cat—professional discretion and all that. “I got really close to her son, maybe that’s why.” Those things tended to happen when a child was grateful for you saving their mother. Carter had insisted they stay in touch and he even still emails her on occasion, keeping her up to date on all the traveling he’d been doing with his mom.

“That’s right; I forgot you said you had worked with her before.” Lena went to take a sip of her drink but stumbled slightly, the amber liquid sloshing over the side of the glass.

Kara steadied her, frowning. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Quite a bit. I was stuck talking to Morgan Edge again and I downed another couple flutes of champagne just to keep from slapping him.”

“Okay, maybe I should take this,” Kara said, reaching for Lena’s half-finished glass.

Lena scoffed but allowed her to take it all the same. “I’m fine, really. I just stumbled on the pavement. The zoo doesn’t repave as often as they should.”

Kara downed the rest of the alcohol just to get rid of it. “Kind of hard when they’re open 365 days a year.” Lena wobbled again and Kara replaced her hand on Lena’s arm. “Maybe we should get you some air.”

Lena sagged against her. “A walk would be nice. You know, you’d think an event at the zoo would actually allow you to see the zoo.”

“You wanted to see the animals?”

Lena shrugged. “I’ve never actually been to the zoo before. No one would ever take me as a child and there was never any time between college and running a business.”

She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Well, that’s just unacceptable.” She glanced around to make sure they weren’t being watched before leading Lena towards one of the velvet ropes that sectioned them off from the rest of the park. “Come on.”

Lena gaped. “I don’t think we’re supposed to go that way.”

Kara unhooked the rope. “I won’t tell.”

A wide smile stretched across Lena’s face and a giggle bubbled up from her throat. “Okay, let’s go.”

As Kara replaced the hook and they disappeared into the dark, she couldn’t help but think how cute Lena looked when she was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zoo shenanigans will be coming up next.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this entire thing written except for TWO SENTENCES for literal weeks. And the sentences were right in the middle of the chapter. It was a nightmare.

“So where are we going first?” Lena asked. She could hear the orchestra and stilted conversation growing fainter as they distanced themselves from the party. 

“What do you want to see?” Kara volleyed. “After all, I’ve been here before, you haven’t.”

“The tigers!” 

Kara hushed her, holding her index finger up to her lips. 

“Oops.” She hadn't meant to answer so loudly but she was feeling strangely giddy and it was difficult to hold back. 

“Let's go.”

Lena followed Kara through the miniature streets, the leafy trees and other foliage so thick overhead that it blocked the night sky. The ground began to slope upwards and it took all of Lena's focus to keep her breathing even and not trip. 

When Kara noticed that she was not directly behind, she stopped and waited for Lena to catch up. “Sorry.”

“No, I'm fine. It's just dark and I want to make sure I don't fall. ‘L-Corp CEO breaks ankle skulking about the zoo’ is not a headline I'd like to see in the morning.”

Kara chuckled. “Here, take my hand,” she said. “I can see better than you can right now.”

Lena’s breathing hitched as Kara grasped her hand, and she couldn’t help swiping her thumb against Kara’s skin. This crush was beginning to be a problem. Not only was it getting harder to keep her hands to herself when they crossed paths at home, now Lena found herself irrationally jealous because Kara hugged a former client. Nevertheless, Lena held onto Kara’s hand even when they had passed through Rain Forest Junction and the plant life cleared enough to let the light through.  
They reached the tigers, a spacious enclosure with two levels that was surrounded by artificial rock. Kara let go of Lena’s hand as they arrived and Lena rubbed her fingers against her palm, missing the warmth from Kara's hand. Taking a deep breath to clear her head, Lena turned her attention to what was in front of her. 

The exhibit was designed so that you could view the animals through thick glass with a lone spotlight shining down from the wall to illuminate the habitat. Dimly lit informational panels were inlaid in the rock on the audience's side of the exhibit and a there metal rail to keep people from touching the glass. Inside, there was a small grove of bamboo stalks on the higher level, a lazy river that fed into a small pond on the ground level, and lush patches of grass that connected it all. 

Kara pointed to the bamboo. “Look there.” 

Lena leaned towards the glass, placing both hands on the metal rail and squinted in the direction Kara was pointing. It took another moment for her eyes to focus but once she spotted it, she released a soft, “oh!” 

The first thing she noticed was a pair of glowing yellow eyes. From there, she was able to make out the head and body of the tiger as it hid behind the green stalks. After a moment, the together began to move, lithely traveling to the slow moving river and lowering it's great head to lap at the water. 

“He's beautiful,” Lena whispered. Kara hummed in agreement but from there they lapsed into silence as they watched the tiger prowl around his domain. 

“Did you want to stay here or would you like to see something else?” Kara asked.

Lena pushed off from the railing. “Something else, please.” 

They wandered the grounds, trying to find the nocturnal animals that were active in their pens. There were more than Lena was expecting—ocelots, dholes, and hyenas just to name a few—and all it did was leave her longing that she had taken her brother’s advice in college and spent more time outside the library. 

They were trying to spot the giraffes when they heard the little putt-putt-putt of a golf cart coming up the walkway. 

“That would be security,” Kara whispered, looking over her shoulder. 

Lena whipped her head around, searching for the source of the sound. “Shit.” They were out in the middle of the zoo with the simulated open planes offering little cover for them to hide.

Kara grabbed her hand for the second time of the night, pulling her behind an ice cream cart. Lena’s back was pressed up against the cool metal, causing her to gasp and arch away from the sensation. The only problem was that she was trapped between Kara’s arms and there was little room to do more than grind against Kara’s front. 

After an agonizing moment, Kara pulled back. “Sorry, he’s gone now.” 

Lena forced a laugh “Well, good. That would have been…awkward, to say the least. Maybe I should just make time to come during the day.” 

“You really should, it’s beautiful in the daylight.” Kara turned her face towards the sky as if expecting to find the sun shining down. 

“What do you usually see when you come here?” 

“Do you want to see?” Kara turned her face back but her eyes were still on the sky. “We’ll make it our last stop, I promise.”

“After you,” Lena said, gesturing a head of her. 

Smiling, Kara led her to the zoo’s aviary. Rather than keeping the birds enclosed, the zoo put nets that reached up at least twenty feet. The vegetation was thicker here, the trees lining the path and blocking the view as the walkway curved out of sight. 

“It’s too dark for me to be able to make out any specific birds, you know,” Lena warned. 

“You may not be able to see them, but you can hear them,” Kara shot back.

“They’re all asleep!”

Kara stepped closer to the nets. “Hold on.”

Lena narrowed her eyes at her. “What are you planning on doing?”

Kara inhaled a breath through her nose, pursing her lips until there was only a slight opening in the center. Lena was expecting some sort of whistle, or a variation of some amateur bird call. Instead, the noise that emanated from Kara was so genuine that she would have sworn that Kara played a recording except Lena had never heard a nature replicate the calls so exactly. 

Kara cycled through a few different calls, only slightly adjusting the position of her mouth for each one. It took a moment, but soon Kara’s single voice was joined by dozens of other songs until the area was filled with the soft cooing and cawing of sleepy birds in their nests. 

“How…?” Lena asked, too stunned to finish her sentence. 

Kara ducked her head. “I have a gift with voices.”

“That’s an understatement. Is it only animals that you can do?”

Kara rested her hands on the guardrail. “No, I can do other sounds, too. But birds were always my favorite.”

“Really?” Lena didn’t have any particular ill-feelings towards birds but she still couldn’t fathom them being anyone’s favorite. 

“We didn’t have birds on my planet. They’d all died out by the time I was born.” Kara’s voice had softened and she gazed out into the aviary, her eyes slightly more watery than before. 

“That’s…” terrible, she wanted to say but it felt hollow. 

“I’d climb out on the roof of our house and watch the birds fly overhead. It used to drive Alex nuts that I used to always have my head in the clouds but I could never get over how free they looked as they flew. I used to wish—” Kara stopped herself. “Anyways, I really like some of the conservation programs you have here. If we’d had something like that on my planet maybe things would be different.” 

Lena stepped forward, laying her hand over Kara’s. “I’m sorry.”

Kara’s lips pulled upwards and she turned her hand over in Lena’s grasp to return the gentle squeeze. As it was every time she touched Kara, Lena felt her skin warm and she felt the inexplicable need to move closer. Lena didn’t know if it was the leftover alcohol in her system or if she was just overwhelmed by the vulnerability that Kara had displayed tonight but this time she didn’t stop herself from taking another step into Kara’s side until she was pressed against her. 

Lena licked her lips. “Kara, I—” she whispered, angling her head up. She was now inches from Kara’s face. 

Her eyes zeroed in on Kara’s lips and she wondered what would happen if she just leaned in and pressed their mouths together. Would kissing Kara light her on fire just as much as the casual touches would? Without thinking, Lena closed the space between them and gently brushed her lips against Kara’s. 

Kara’s lips were soft and warm, but it only took a second to realize that Kara had stiffened beside her so she pulled back quickly. Kara’s jaw was clenched, her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes searched Lena’s face. 

“I’m so sorry,” Lena began, taking a step back. “I—I must have had more to drink than I thought.”

Kara sighed. “Lena…” 

Lena shook her head. “Please, Kara, you don’t have to say anything. This is on me.”

“It’s just,” Kara looked briefly up to the sky. “I don’t get involved with anyone while I’m on the job, especially not with my clients.” 

“I understand. Please, let’s just forget about it.” She wished the earth would just open up and swallow her whole; anything to get out of this conversation. 

“Lena—” Kara stopped abruptly, her eyes hardening and staring at her as if she was looking straight through her. Her head tilted slightly, listening to something in the distance. 

Lena focused her hearing, frowning when she realized there was a distinct lack of sound around them. “When did the birds sto—?”

“Get down!”

Strong hands grasped her shoulders and shoved her to the ground.


	10. Chapter 9

Kara held herself motionless as Lena pressed their lips together, willing herself not to react—no matter how much she may have wanted to. Lena pulled back and Kara clenched her jaw as she took a breath; the combination of Lena’s perfume, the taste of her lipstick and the scotch she’d been drinking was overwhelming her despite the tight reigns she kept on her senses at all times. 

Lena seemed to register her reticence because she pulled back and stammered through an apology. She refused to look at Kara in the face, her voice trembling. “I understand. Please, let’s just forget about it.” 

“Lena—” Kara broke off when Winn’s voice came over the comm in her ear.

“Uh, Kara. You have something incoming. Fast!”

Kara froze, straining her hearing and utilizing her x-ray vision to scan the area. She found what Winn had picked up, a figure, human shaped, headed straight for them, one arm thrown out, aiming for them as a missile launched from his arm.

In front of her, Lena frowned. “When did the birds sto—?”

“Get down!” Kara grabbed Lena by the shoulders, forcing her onto the ground and covering her with her own body. 

The space around them exploded, sending chunks of wood and concrete raining down on them. Birds screeched, Lena screamed, and Kara could hear the sounds of one hundred party guests shouting and panicking in the distance. Lena struggled to cover her face with her hands but Kara held her caged too tightly in her arms to move properly. 

Kara cursed herself. She had been taken off guard by the kiss and she hadn’t heard anyone approaching. Lena’s breathing was coming in gasps and her eyes were wide, the green in her eyes barely visible. Her heart was pounding in her chest and Kara could feel her shaking. 

Winn began speaking again. “Kara, James is headed towards you to get Lena and I’ve called Alex.”

Kara didn’t answer him, turning her attention to the woman in her arms. “Are you okay?” she asked, keeping her voice low. She didn’t receive an answer so she asked again, “Lena, are you okay?”

“Y-yes.” Lena craned her neck to look at her face.

“Can you stand?” Lena nodded. 

Behind them, Kara heard something heavy hit the ground. “When Lillian said you’d be hard to kill, I didn’t think she was serious.” Kara recognized the voice immediately—Hank Henshaw had found them. He chuckled to himself. “I‘d wanted to do this off the radar but it seems I can’t take any chances.”

“We’re going to get up and I’m going to occupy him while you run, okay?” Kara shifted Lena in her arms, preparing to pull them upright. “One…”

Lena’s eyes got impossibly wider. “What? No, you can’t—”

Kara ignored her. “Two…”

“Kara, you’ll get hurt!” 

“Three!” Kara pushed off the ground, putting Lena on her feet and spinning to face Henshaw. 

“How the hell did you survive—?” His face was a mask of rage, at least, the part of his face that was still human. One half of his face was twisted into a familiar sneer, the other half encased in metal with a red robotic eye that zoomed in on her. “You!”

Kara had seen that sneer aimed at her too many times as a child without being able to do anything about it. Now, that would all change. “Lena, run!”

Kara ran at him, using a burst of superspeed to knock him off balance. Her shoulder made contact with his chest but instead of sending him flying, like she’d hoped, he only slid back a few feet, his boots digging into the dirt. 

“Nice try!” Henshaw pulled his arm back, punching her in the stomach. 

Kara let out a grunt. That punch had actually hurt. It had been a long time since she’d faced anyone that could touch her. It looked as if she was going to kick it up a few notches. Grabbing the arm at her mid-section, Kara planted her feet and swung the cyborg over her head. She made to punch him while he was still down but he rolled out of her reach and jumped back to his feet. Kara stole a look behind her and saw Lena trying to put as much distance between them as she could but they were between her and the closest exit.

Kara and Henshaw circled each other, each sizing one another up. Lena hadn’t been kidding about the modifications Cadmus made; one look with her x-ray vision told her that Henshaw was more robot than man at this point, his bones replaced or reinforced with metal that was strong enough to withstand even her power. 

Henshaw looked her up and down and smiled. “You got tired of being the government’s lap dog so now you hire yourself out as a guard dog? You do know what her family does to aliens, right?”

Kara ignored the jibe about the Luthors—Lena wasn’t her family. “Did Cadmus run out of aliens to experiment on so they started in on you?”

“Mock all you want,” he said. “Cadmus saved me after Danvers left me to die. Why Jeremiah tried to take your place, I’ll never know. You’re just as useless as they day we met.”

The mention of Jeremiah threw her off. She sucked in a breath, her chest tightening with guilt. 

Winn’s voice appeared in her ear. “James is less than two minutes away.” 

Kara dug her nails into her palms to steady herself. She just had to keep him busy, keep his attention on her so that Lena could get away. “Too bad he couldn’t finish the job,” she volleyed back.

Kara moved forward, feigning an attack. Mistaking her movements for hesitance, Henshaw launched himself at her, slamming his fist into her again. This time, he aimed for her face. Her head turned with the force of the punch, sending her reeling back. Henshaw didn’t give her a chance to recover, hitting her again in the stomach. 

Kara threw a wild punch and watched as Henshaw dodged easily. “You still telegraph your moves, you never could get yourself under control.”

He shifted his weight onto one leg and Kara knew instantly that he was about to sweep her legs out from under her. If she let him take her down, she could grapple him easily while James got to Lena. Bracing herself, Kara allowed him to kick her legs out from under her and she landed on her back with a loud thud. 

He stepped over her, just as she’d planned. “I was designed to take down your cousin; and you were never as strong as him. I should have dissected you when I had a chance. When I’m done, I’ll take you back to Cadmus, maybe we can make something useful out of you yet.”

Even knowing she was letting him win, Kara couldn’t stop the shiver that went through her at his words. Kara could tell he saw her react because a huge smile broke out across his face—her fear excited him. He lifted his foot to kick her. 

“No!” Kara turned in time to see Lena throw herself onto Henshaw’s back. 

Henshaw staggered backwards, reaching behind him to try and grab a hold of Lena. “Get off of me!” 

“Lena, no!” Kara got to her feet, trying to think of a way to get her away from him. What the hell was she doing?

Lena jabbed a pen into Henshaw’s neck, pulling up the skin. He howled in pain and grabbed at her again. He managed to reach Lena this time and Kara’s heart stopped as she watched him toss Lena like a rag doll, the dull crack of her head against the pavement resounded in Kara’s ears.

“Lena!” Kara tackled Henshaw, not bothering to withhold her strength. 

She moved too fast for him to keep up and slammed him into the ground. She let her body move without thinking, landing hit after hit. She was only half paying attention to the cyborg struggling under her hands, the rest of her focus was zeroing in on Lena, trying to ascertain if she was still alive. 

“Please, please,” she whispered, letting down the block on her hearing she usually kept up while in public. She heard the steady thump, thump, thump of Lena’s heart and Kara closed her eyes in relief, only opening them again when Henshaw managed to get a punch to her jaw. 

“Kara!” James had finally arrived. 

“Check on Lena and then get her out of here!” She shouted, intercepting Henshaw’s elbow.

James ran up to where Lena was already beginning to stir, helping her get to her feet. “Alright, we’re leaving.”

Lena cradled her head. “No, we can’t go! He’ll kill her!” 

James gripped Lena by the upper arm and hauled her up. “He won’t, but we need to go, now!” 

Lena stood her ground, not taking her eyes off of the fight. “Kara—”

“Lena, go with him!” Kara shouted over her shoulder. “I’ll be fine!” 

“Kara,” James started. “Alex is on her way but the police—”

“I’ve got this, go!” Kara watched them leave, thankful that she had such a great team. “Now,” she said, turning back to Henshaw’s snarling face. “It’s time to end this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I hate writing action scenes? Yes. Yes I do.


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Are you all still there? I would make excuses but I'm just owning up to it. I got a kid, I barely have time for myself.

Somewhere in her brain, Lena recognized that James was not holding her tightly enough to hurt but she still yanked her arm out of his grasp as soon as they rejoined the scrambling crowds. “We have to go back! Kara—”

“Can take care of herself,” he finished, his voice low. “Look, I get that you’re worried, but we’d only get in the way.” She was about to argue but she noticed his jaw was clenched, his eyes drifting back to where Kara was fighting, his body was tensed as if poised to run back the way they’d just came.

Everywhere people were panicking; guests and employees fleeing as emergency response were roping off the area and ushering people out. Lena saw Morgan Edge push an older woman out of the way in his haste to leave only to trip over a concrete planter and fall face first in the dirt but she was too worried to appreciate it.

She relented. “Lead the way, Mr. Olsen.”

She followed James through the crowd, dodging law enforcement. “We don’t need the extra hassle,” James told her.

They made their way out to the parking lot but instead of heading for the town car Lena had on standby, James led her to a non-descript white van. He grasped the handle of the side door and pulled it open to reveal Winn, surrounded by piles of wiring and computer equipment.

“Do you still have eyes on them?” James asked, startling Winn.

Winn jumped and tore his eyes away from the tablet in his hands. “Uh, hi, yes. There’s a camera that’s giving me pretty good visuals.”

“I’m driving, so keep me posted.” He went around to the driver’s side and climbed in.

Winn looked to her. “Do you want to ride up front, or back here with me?”

She eyed the tablet in his hands. “Back here.”

Winn cleared a pile of equipment off the seat beside him as she got into the van, not bothering to buckle up as James started the vehicle and got them out of the parking lot.

“May I?” She pointed to the tablet.

“Hm?” Winn looked up. “Oh, yeah, sure.” He angled the screen so that she could see.

The picture was grainy and hard to make out because of the distance of the camera but Lena was still able to make out Kara and Henshaw as they continued to trade blows. Lena watched as Kara began landing more hits, sending the cyborg staggering.

Winn whooped. “Alright, here we go! Finish him off, Kara!”

Lena watched Kara prepare to land the final blow when a streak of bright light shot from Henshaw’s mechanic eye and hit Kara square in the chest. The laugh that had been building in response to Winn’s cheering became a strangled cry as she watched Kara be propelled out of view of the camera.

“Where’d she go? Winn!”

Winn turned to the laptop beside him. "I’ll try and get the video back!”

“What happened?” James asked from the front seat, his eyes darting between them in the rearview mirror.

“We lost our visual,” Winn answered.

Winn cycled through the other security feeds at the zoo. Lena caught glimpses of the theater, the entrance, the parking lot, followed by empty views of the exhibits. With every screen that flashed by, Lena's anxiety rose; her heartbeat echoes in her ears, the faint taste of blood on her tongue from when she'd hit her head, and her nails were biting into her palms.

“Winn…”

“Hang on, hang on… Here we go!” He finally settled on a feed adjacent to the fight, but the only thing that can be seen were agents in black tactical gear rushing the scene.

“I don’t see her!”

“There she is!” Winn pointed to one corner of the screen where Kara was standing over the phone form of Hank Henshaw.

She had her back towards the camera so Lena couldn't see her face but there was something in her left hand. “Is that…?”

“That would be an arm.” Winn looked slightly green.

James panicked voice came from the front. “An arm?! Who's arm?! Is Kara alright?!”

“It's not her arm, she's fine!” Winn assured him.

The next thing they saw was Kara falling to her knees before the jackbooted agents approached. One of them rushed to Kara's side, blocking her from view. The agent seemed to pull Kara off of the ground and support her as they disappeared from view.

“That must be Alex.”

“Where are they taking her?” Lena asked.

“Probably back to the DEO, I’ll try and get a hold of her.” Winn closed his laptop and pulled out a cellphone. He dailed and held the phone to his ear. “Rats, going straight to voicemail. Alex, it's Winn. Give us an update on Kara. ASAP. Thanks, bye.”

The rest of the ride was spent trying to get a hold of one of Winn's various DEO contacts, all to no avail. Finally, James pulled them into the long driveway and parked. “Come on, we can’t have you out in the open yet.”

Lena allowed herself to be herded into the house with repeated assurances from Winn that he'd update her the moment they heard anything. Lena made it as far as the living room before she resorted to pacing. Her system still pumping her full of adrenaline and her mind was thinking itself in circles.

Why hadn't they heard from Kara yet? Was that normal? Winn had told her not to worry but she couldn't help herself.

Winn was tracking her with his eyes “Um, Lena?”

“What?!” she snapped. He flinched so she took a deep breath. “What is it, Winn?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to sit down. Or maybe get your hand looked at?"

"What?" Lena looked down to where he was pointing and saw that her index and middle finger were already bruising. Seeing the injury seemed to finally register in her brain and she twitched those fingers reflexively, hissing in pain at the movement.

"That's what I thought." Winn grimaced. 

"Here," James headed for the freezer, grabbing an ice pack and dish towel. He pushed her onto the couch, wrapped the ice pack and gingerly lay it over her injured fingers. He finished up by unfolding a throw blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders. "I'm getting you a glass of water."

"That's really not—" she broke off after the look he shot her. She laid her free hand over the ice pack, wincing at the pressure. "Thank you."

Winn's phone chirped. “It's her!” Lena's breath caught in her throat. “She's on her way!”

The sound of the door opening cut off her reply. Three heads turned towards the door to see Kara come in the door. “I’m fine, Alex. I promise.”

Kara's hair was a mess, the normal blonde matted in places with dirt. Her dress was in shreds, a nondescript black hoodie covering her shoulders, and sometime between the fight and arriving home, she'd lost the heels she'd worn and was left barefoot.

Lena nearly cried with relief as she stood, tossing aside the blanket and ice pack. Or, she would have until Kara spotted her and fixed her with an unmistakable glare.

“Alex, I'll call you later. Yeah, promise. Love you.” Kara tossed the phone on the couch. “What the _hell_ is the matter with you?!”

Winn and James traded looks.

“We’ll just…” James pointed to the hallway.

“Yeah, we’ll get out of here.” Winn literally jumped over the back of the couch in his haste to get away.

Kara waited until there were twin doors closing down the hall. “I told you to run!”

Lena felt her temper flare. “I couldn’t just leave you, he was kicking your ass!”

“That’s because I was buying time!” Kara clenched her hands into fists. “I needed to keep him busy until James got you to safety. That’s what you pay me for!”

“I don’t pay you to nearly die for me, that isn’t ever something I want.” She shivered at the thought. Enough people had already died for her and the thought of Kara cold and unmoving because of her was something she couldn't stand.

“Please, I didn’t nearly die.” Kara made to move further into the house but she winced and grasped her side.

From what Lena had seen, it was most likely her ribs. “Want to rephrase that?”

“No, I don’t. This is my job, risk is involved. A few bruised ribs that will heal by tomorrow is nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”

Lena ignored her curiosity as to what Kara meant about healing. As much as she hated to admit it, Kara was right, this was her job. And it was a job that she was pretty damn good at. "You're right. I apologize.”

Kara's shoulders dropped from their tense position and for the first time since Lena had met her, she looked tired. “I just—you could have died, Lena.”

“I know,” she whispered. As hurtful it was that the one family member she'd loved the most had ordered her death several times, Lillian had gotten the closest.

Kara looked to the floor “No, you don’t,” she whispered.

“Kara,” Lena said, her brow creased. Surely, she'd be the one to know how much there was to lose had Henshaw succeeded.

“I’ve already lost too many people.” Kara looked up, her eyes full of unshed tears. “I don’t want to add you to the list.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Lena reached out for her hand but Kara surprised her by pulling her into a hug.

When Kara pulled back she grabbed Lena's hand, examining her injuries. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up.”

Feeling her own fatigue increasing, Lena allowed Kara to lead her to the the bedroom for some first-aid.


End file.
